In Your Arms Again
by Persephone-The-Analyst
Summary: When Duo gets offered a Top Secret mission back on L2 after the war, he's skeptical. At least, until he hears that the other Gundam Pilots are the ones that requested that he be sent away. Meanwhile, when Relena tells the boys that Duo is dead, they're devastated. What happens when their jobs with the Preventers take them to the streets of L2? (01x02)
1. Chapter 1

_**In Your Arms Again**_

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AN: I do not own any of the characters or Gundam Wing. I do however own any OC's that I use in this story but anyone who would like to use them in their own story are more than welcome to.

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_**Chapter 1**_

There he was, just standing there with 'Relena Bitchcraft' herself… the Demon Princess in Pink. He hated the vile, former Queen of the World more than he had ever hated OZ or the Alliance. Yet, here at the age of 17, he Duo Maxwell was accepting a Preventers' mission from young woman herself.

"Pilot 02, Duo Maxwell, under the orders of the Preventers HQ you are to return to the L2 Colony on a highly classified mission to help the introduction of peace and restructuring to the people who live there. You will receive a monthly paycheck via the L2 Branch Office while there, and before you are to leave you will receive a pass code for collection. Do you understand?" Relena handed him a folder with all the information he would be needing for the upcoming mission, and he nodded. She was being very professional, which he figured was hard for her… given her obvious distaste for him. He knew that he wouldn't be lonely during the mission at least, the others could contact him at any time. They all had his cell phone number, after all.

"In addition," she continued, "You are being assigned a new cellular phone that will only be used for contacting your Preventers' assigned handler, as well as any contacts you make on the colony that will help you along with your mission. I will remind you that this is a Top Secret mission as we don't want the people of the colony to know that the Preventers' are 'meddling' in their affairs. Any contact with anyone outside of L2, other than your handler, will cost you your job. Am I understood?"

So, he could only talk to certain people? "But… what about the guys… my friends? I can't even contact them? They're all that I have…"

She shook her head, sadly. "I'm sorry Maxwell, but they were the ones that requested you be sent on this mission. It seems that they were afraid you might be embarrassing to them, they also are concerned that the presence of the self proclaimed 'God of Death' might have negative effects on the peace that they have worked so hard to create. Mr. Winner had said you would understand, your place after all has always been in the shadows."

Duo could hardly believe it, the people he had fought through two wars with, and come to view as a family, thought that he was nothing more than a disgrace? "I'll accept, and I understand the conditions." He couldn't think of anything else to do. If this was what everyone thought was best, he would go back to his 'home' and try his best make it a place worthy of being called a 'Home.' Deep in his heart, he always knew that he's wind up back there after the war anyway, he had just hoped that it wouldn't be so soon.

"Well, look over the information provided and I'll have the rest of the details and materials delivered to you. Your shuttle leaves for the colony in a week, I assume you can be ready by then?" Relena smiled.

Duo shifted his eyes down to the ground, "Yeah… it won't take me long to get my stuff together. I'll be ready, don't worry."

"Good, I look forward to working with you Mr. Maxwell," she said. As she turned to walk away her smile quickly switched to a smirk as she chuckled under her breath. _'I look forward to having you out of my way that is…' _Relena could hardly believe that it had been that easy to break the filthy street rat's trust in his dear, dear friends… she guessed they weren't as good of friends to the boy as she had thought. _'Now, on to the second part of my brilliant plan.'_

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_On the L2 Colony Cluster_

Duo stretched as he got off of his shuttle on L2, he had $5000, a mission to do and was determined that nothing was going to get in his way. Yes, he missed his friends, but that thought was quickly shaken out of his mind when that little voice in the back of his head reminded him that they probably didn't share his sentiments. Now, all he had to do was find the apartment listed in the information packet Relena had given him, and get set up. _'Oh, it's so good to be home…' _he thought bitterly.

Strolling down the streets of a home he once knew, the colony looked like it might have already been going through the early transition into peace… but he knew better. The peaceful look and air of happiness was just a cover over the turmoil and the riffraff cluttering the streets. Only those that grew up on the colony would have been able to see it.

Before long, he was set up in the apartment he was assigned to. Looking around at the small, but clean room, he sighed. It wasn't much, but at least it was clean. Walking around, he ran his hands over the counters in the kitchen, and over the walls in the hallway leading to the bathroom and bedroom. Returning to the living room he picked up the duffel bag that held all his worldly possessions and made his way back to the bedroom. At least they provided him with a furnished apartment, he was relieved he didn't have to try to buy all new furniture… that would have been a hassle.

His first month on L2 and working with the local police wasn't causing him to make very much progress with his mission. The police on the colony were lazy and besides making a handful of drug busts, they didn't really do too much to stop anything that was threatening to livelihood of the people living there. His first monthly paycheck was roughly another $5000, which was fine considering his rent was only $500 per month… that left him with $4500 to put away. He spent the first $5000 he'd received, prior to his arrival, on clothing and food, so he could fit in to the colony a little better… his old priest-style outfits that he'd worn during the war would just make him stand out a little too much for his liking.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he sat down at the desk in his living room and started up the laptop he'd been provided, for his weekly reports to his handler at the Preventers. "Well, might as well get this over with," he muttered to himself, as he opened up a blank document and began to write his report.

_I'm sorry to say that not much has changed since my last report back to the agency. Cleaning up the streets and ensuring peace is happening slower than I had expected, the local police force isn't much help I'm afraid. I again would also like to request that I receive some assistance from the L2 Preventers Branch, seeing as how the colony is a bit too large for one person to handle on his own… even if that person is as skilled as myself. I will conclude my report here, seeing as how there isn't' anything else for me to let you know about. _

_Sincerely, _

_Agent Shadow (02), Duo Maxwell_

He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes as he opened up the email manager and attached his most recent report, groaning as he hit the send button. Shutting down the laptop, he decided to take a quick shower and change his clothes before going back to the streets to see if he could gather any more information on this 'terrorist group' he had caught wind of, and he had omitted from his reports until he could get more information.

After his shower, he got dressed in a simple pair of beige cargo pants and dark blue t-shirt. He threw on a plain back hoodie, grabbed his keys as he walked out the door and locked it behind him. He may be in what was considered the 'nice neighborhoods' of L2, but he felt the need to lock his door was even more prevalent. He sighed as he made his way down to the street to the Preventers office to grab his paycheck.

"Duo?! You braided idiot… I would recognize you anywhere!" Large violet eyes widened as he turned around and looked into the face of his childhood friend, Broznan. He was taller than Duo, who was standing at a mere 5'4", with dark skin and shoulder length sandy, brown hair. He looked the other male from head to toe and noticed he was wearing a pair of black jeans, with a black T-shit that read 'Broz's Toyz for Boyz.' "Man… I knew it was you the moment I saw you. I thought to myself… that's little Duo from ol' Solo's gang, that is! How've you been bro?" He flashed a smile, showing a nice row of clean, white teeth.

"I'm good, haven't seen you for ages… not since you got yourself adopted from…" and he stopped himself from going on, thinking about the old church brought back too many painful memories that he didn't feel like remembering at that moment. "Anyway, yeah… I'm doing great. Actually, I was just on my way to pick up a paycheck." He flashed a little smile of his own, at his long time friend. He then looked to the ground with a sigh.

A loud chuckle brought his gaze from the ground to that of his cheerful friend. "Well, that's good to hear, eh? I wouldn't want to keep you from getting your money, and I gotta run… so here's my number and if you ever need to get a hold of me, or you find yourself needing a better job, give me a ring." He smiled as he held his finger to his ear and mouth, like one would to mimic a phone and ran down the street.

Duo whistled a little tune as he made his way up the sidewalk leading to the Preventers L2 Branch and entered through the door. Walking up the woman at the front desk, he smiled and said, "Payroll Department please."

"Of course sir, may I ask for your Agent ID and Pass Code?" She responded, long nails clacking in a password on her computer.

"Agent Shadow, or 02, Special Ops Pass Code 020479XZ22P," he said calmly. He leaned on the desk as the receptionist typed in the code on her keyboard once… then twice. He watched as her expression turned from a smile to a deep frown. "Is everything ok?"

"I'm sorry sir," she said as she shook her head. "But it appears we have a slight issue on our hands." She made a few more strokes on the keyboard and he heard the printer kick up. The woman behind the desk got up and grabbed the documents from the printer, before sitting back down behind the desk and looking up at Duo. "I have your paycheck right here. But sir it appears as if the termination of your employment has been authorized as well. Here is the information packet required to be given to any former employees and I am to thank you for your hard work and service to our great organization."

Duo was shocked by what she said. Taking the packet from her, while shaking his head in disbelief, he nodded and gave her his thanks before walking back through the doors. He took out his phone and grabbed the slip of paper that was given to him by Broznan, that held the other man's phone number. After dialing the number, he waited as the phone rang against his ear. _Click. "Hey, Broznan here for, Broz's Toyz for Boyz. We got whips, chains and anything you could want for that kinky night of pleasure… what can I do for yah?" _

"_Hey man, it's Duo." _

"_Oh Duo! What's up?" The other male's voice said, in a deep baritone. _

"_Your job offer still good?" _

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_AN: Please review. If you have read the previous version of this story, be patient and enjoy the new version. I will be uploading the rest and this time it won't be so choppy. Thank you.  
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	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

"_If you are reading this then that means that the God of Death has finally met the cool hands of death himself. I am sorry for leaving, and I would understand completely if you guys hated me for this. I loved you guys more than anything else. Heero, if you can, learn how to smile… it might do you some good. You should share it with someone you hold dear, like Relena, I saw the way you always eyed her… Just tell her how you feel. Quatre, my dear, dear friend I wish you and Trowa the best, don't ever let him go. Trowa, the same goes for you. Finally, Wufei… I know you always thought of me as an idiot, but I think you should stop looking at women as if they're weak… Sally and Hilde are mighty tough ones. Well, those are my little words of wisdom that I wanted to pass along. I don't want you guys to mourn me, after all I'm going to be in a better place by the time you get this. I just wanted you to know that none of this was your fault, I just couldn't handle all the killing and the lives that I'd taken during the war… I needed to find peace. Please, take care of yourselves._

_Yours Always,_

_Duo Maxwell" _

The four Gundam Pilots were in shock by the time Relena had finished reading the letter, their minds full of questions. The main one being, how could he leave them like that? The most surprising thing to process, however, was that he had given Relena Peacecraft his final letter. It was no big secret that the two detested each other.

The most devastated out of all of them was Heero Yuy. The boy had been in love with Duo throughout most of the war, but he was too afraid to admit those feelings to braided pilot. He was the 'Perfect Soldier,' he wasn't supposed to be hindered by feelings… especially not love. But, Duo had broken through his training and triggered something deep within his heart. He dropped to the ground and let out a heart breaking cry of pain when Relena had finished. Quatre rushed to comfort him, only to be pushed to the side by the pink menace, as she held him close. She whispered to him that everything would be ok because she was there, and that Duo was in a better place.

Quatre couldn't believe that this was happening. He had never felt any pain from his friend… at least not any that would have led him to believe he would take measures like these. Surely he would have felt something if he was planning something like this, wouldn't he? He at least thought that he would have been the one that Duo would have confided in before he took his own life. He just couldn't figure out why Duo would have given a letter like that to Relena… then it hit him. '_He knew that she wouldn't try to stop him… not like we all would have.' _Trowa walked over and placed a shaking hand on his lover… only to have Quatre realize that it was he that was shaking, not the taller teen. Looking up into Trowa's eye, he saw the tear slide down his cheek.

Wufei was angry, very angry at the whole situation. He didn't like to feel sadness… he looked at it as weakness, which left only anger. However, his anger wasn't at Maxwell, it was at Relena. He felt like this was just all too perfect of an opportunity to insert herself in their 'inner circle' as she called it. It was just like her to use the loss of their friend for her own personal gain, and for that he would never be able forgive her.

Relena was smiling to herself on the inside, her plan to get Heero all to herself was working out perfectly. He would never contact them, he would remain on L2 without any knowledge that his friends even cared. She figured that he would probably die like the rest of the filth on that detestable colony… oh how she wished she could just blow it up, too bad she was a 'pacifist.'

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One year later… the pilots, turned Preventers Agents, threw themselves into their work so they wouldn't have to deal with the reality of their friend's death anymore than they had to. Relena had tried to make advances on Heero, after she had felt she'd given him plenty of time and space to 'grieve,' but he just kept telling her that he wasn't interested in being her "Beloved." She was worse than most men … 'no' meant 'yes'… and 'go away' meant 'take me I'm yours!' She'd pretty much pushed herself into their lives, trying to take the place of the braided prankster.

Duo's funeral was a private affair, only those close to the pilots had been in attendance. There wasn't a body, Relena had said she'd seen him get into his Gundam just after giving her the letter, which they all knew was being sent into the sun to be destroyed… just like the rest of theirs. If only they'd known that Duo had been hiding inside the container. Everyone missed the boy, with his bright violet eyes and wide smile, even Lady Une. The little affair even made Howard come out of hiding.

However, Wufei just couldn't shake the feeling that Relena was up to something. "She is disgraceful, when is that damn woman going to give up? You should have killed her when you had the chance, Heero." He sighed, as he tapped his pen again the report he was reading.

"Hn," was the only response he could manage to get from the stoic boy. Any bit of progress they'd managed to make with Heero talking more had been shattered when Duo died. Quatre had just said that he probably reverted back to his old ways because it was easier.

"You don't think that she, has some kind of hidden agenda do you? I mean, maybe she's the one that killed him… or she hired someone else to do it? It's not really a secret that she hated him after all." Quatre said, voicing the thoughts going through Wufei's own mind. The look in Trowa and Heero's eyes told him that they'd all been entertaining the same idea.

They were shaken from their thoughts when there was a knock at the door to their office, and Noin walked in. "Commander Une would like to see you in her office," she said, with a gentle smile. It had hurt her too when she'd heard of Maxwell's death, but she knew her pain was nothing in comparison to theirs. She also knew that the mission they were going to be receiving was going to be difficult for them; They had to go to L2, which was his home, and investigate the rumors of a radical group that was once again threatening peace.

The four former pilots followed Noin to the Commander's office, wondering what they were needed for this time. It was really rare that the Preventers' would send all four of them out for missions together, they didn't normally need more than two of them at a time, and that was only because it was organization policy that the agents never go on assignment alone. They arrived in front of the office, and with another small smile Noin disappeared and left them standing there. Quatre was the one to knock at the door… as much as Wufei hated to admit it, the blond was the only one that wasn't scared for his life when it came to the woman.

"Come in boys," she said as they opened the door and walked in. Quatre and Trowa sat themselves on a couch in the back of the room, while Wufei and Heero propped themselves against the wall. "Thank you for joining me, I'm going to just cut to the chase. There are rumors of a new radical group that is threatening the peace we've worked so hard for, that Miss Peacecraft has brought to my attention. I would like you boys to go and investigate, possibly infiltrate, and gather any information you can on them before we take further action."

"Where is this group located?" Trowa asked.

"The L2 Colony," the mention of Duo's home colony got their attention. "Plans to rebuild and reform the colony have been going slower than expected and the people are growing restless. It's been brought to our attention that this new group wishes to harm Miss Peacecraft to bring about another war. We'd like very much if we could put an end to this swiftly and quietly before things get out of hand, which is why I'm sending you four."

"L2 is where Maxwell was from, I would like to personally make sure that nothing of that sort happens and causes any injustice to his memory." Wufei stated as he took the five mission folders from Commander Une's outstretched hand. "When do we leave?"

"In one week," she answered, as he passed a folder to each of them.

"Very well, we'll make sure that this gets taken care of. Thank you Commander," Quatre said. The four bowed to her and left the office.

The Commander knew that this mission was going to be a tough one for them. Duo might have passed on a year ago, but they were still trying hard to move on after his death… now she had to send them to the colony in which he grew up. She didn't envy them, and she wished she had another choice.

* * *

"Princess Relena, Your Highness, there is a Mr. Heero Yuy on the phone for you." The young maid at the Peacecraft mansion said to the blond girl. Nodding in thanks, the girl took the phone and told her she could go.

"Heero, my love, to what do I owe this pleasure?" She giggled. "Are you finally going to accept my offer to come and live here in the palace with me? It would, after all, give us plenty of time to go over the wedding preparations." She was smiling as she strummed her bright pink nails on the mahogany desk.

"Miss Peacecraft, how many times do I have to decline your offer, as well as remind you that I have not accepted any marriage proposals?" The tone of his voice made her frown, "I am calling to inform you that I will be unable to guard you at the upcoming press conference, the Commander has brought and urgent mission to our attention."

"Where are you off to, sweetheart? Surely you must tell me, you wouldn't want your fiancée to worry about you while you're gone would you?" She could hear Heero sigh, and imagined him pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It is Classified, Miss Relena. I am sorry again for any inconvenience." And with that, he hung up the phone.

Relena let out a heavy sigh and looked hurt when she realized that Heero had actually hung up on her. When was he going to get over his brooding and just be with her already? After all, that was what she'd written that their dear friend Duo had wanted him to do. How could he ignore his friends dying wishes? _'Oh well, I'll just keep being persistent until he realizes that's it's in his best interests'_

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_AN: You know the drill, reviews are always a nice thing to get... keeps the writers block at bay for future stories.  
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	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

There was a group on the Colony of L2 that called themselves the CLA or "Colony Liberation Association." The information that Relena had provided had Commander Une believing that the group was planning something serious to bring about another war between the colonies and the Earth Sphere United Nations. However, in the week since their arrival on the colony, none of the former pilots managed to get wind of any news about this rumored group… the people were very tight lipped. Wufei thought that it might have something to do with their Preventers' uniforms.

Heero, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei and Sally Po were walking down a street in the 'slums' of L2 to a place that the locals had told them had some 'kick-ass food.' They figured that they might as well check it out while they worked out a new approach. What they needed was a local that wouldn't mind being their eyes and ears on the streets, or at least teach them how to blend in better.

"I can't believe Maxwell grew up here, he always said it was a cesspool… I just never realized how bad until now." Wufei said as they passed more hookers and children running around without shoes, wearing threadbare clothing. The other four nodded in agreement as they continued making their way to the restaurant.

Heero stumbled forward a tiny bit when he was knocked into by a crazy kid that was running down the street shouting "Fight!" at the top of his lungs. The people of the colony might not ban together for much, they assessed, but apparently they would rally together to make wagers on who won the local street fights.

When they arrived, however, they thought that they could hardly call what was before them a 'fight'… it looked more like it was going to be a massacre. There was a smaller young man with long brown hair, tied back into a high ponytail and bangs covering his face, against five brutish looking men. "We need to stay here so when it's over I can make sure that no one is seriously injured." Sally sighed.

Normally they would have broken up a fight like this before it even started, but they were out numbered here and thought it would do them more harm than good in winning the cooperation of the locals. Through the jeers and shouts, they were able to make out parts of the conversation, if they strained themselves. "Come on Princess, just give in and have a good time with us… we'll pay yah good, gorgeous," the larger bald one said to the brunette that was crouching down on the street like an alley cat.

"Leave me alone if you value your lives," he growled menacingly.

"Hey boss, I think the little twerp is challenging us, don'cha think?" Sneered a man with an acid green Mohawk. "Yah really don't wanna go doing that shrimp," he spit.

In a quick flash of movement the smaller brunette jumped up and landed a solid kick to Mohawk's stomach, sending him to the ground in pain. Baldy growled and threw a punch, but the kid ducked and brought his left leg around, knocking his feet right out from underneath him in another quick, fluid movement. Wufei had to hand it to this boy, he wasn't without skill. They watched as he beautifully dodged their flying limbs, until one of them landed an elbow to his forehead, and sent him flying into a nearby wall. The smallest one in their group kicked him a few times so he couldn't get up.

"Little punk… thought we'd get at have a bit more fun wit him than that," the thugs laughed. They were about to pick him up and take him with them until Sally fired her gun in the air and ordered them to leave the man alone, enough was enough. She had no choice but to risk angering the locals to make that nothing unforgivable was done to that young man. When they saw the Preventers' uniforms the crowd quickly dispersed and the little gang took off down the street. Even they weren't stupid enough to get into a tangle with an agency like the Preventers.

As Sally approached the young brunette, to see if he needed medical attention, she noticed him trying to get back up. She knelt beside him, "Sir, my name is Sally Po, I'm a doctor for the Preventers. I would like to check your injuries and make sure that there isn't anything too serious," she said as calmly as she could. She didn't want to scare the young man off, so she had the others to go and stand against a nearby building and wait for her. Wufei was a little on edge at having his girlfriend so close to the stranger.

As soon as the words left her mouth, however, the boy jumped up to his feet and turned his back to her in a flurry of motion, before taking off down the street. As he ran they caught the logo on the back of his black T-shirt that read 'Broz's Toyz for Boyz' and figured that they could find him there later… he seemed like just the kind of guy they could use to help them with their mission.

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Duo could hardly believe it, one moment he was lying there against a wall after getting caught off guard… and then next Sally Po was trying to help him up and give him medical attention? He was so upset, he did the only thing he could think to do… he ran. At least his bangs were long enough he was sure that she hadn't gotten a good look at his face. Of all the people to be there… it had to be someone he knew.

He was finally getting settled back into life on the colony, working for Broznan. He'd wound up selling his little apartment and moved into the two bedroom that his friend had above his shop. It wasn't as clean at first, but after a days work Duo managed to make the place livable… he'd even taken the furniture from his old place. He figured that after sending him back there and then abandoning him, the Preventers' owed him that much… besides, the bed was comfortable.

He'd been so upset when he'd been told that the Preventers' no longer needed his services. He guessed that it was because he'd been unable to get them any results with his mission. They could have at least given him some warning, instead they threw him right back onto the streets of the colony that had stolen his childhood. Well, apparently no matter what you do… once a street rat, always a street rat.

He was glad that he'd had the presence of mind to save up everything from his previous paychecks and that had given him roughly $9000, which he promised to use to help Broznan with his business in any way that he could. He felt loyalty to his old friend, he'd been in Solo's gang with him as well as the Church… until he'd been adopted, right before the 'Maxwell Church Tragedy.'

_245 people were killed. The Colony's rebellion was suppressed by the Alliance and OZ's crack troops. People came to call this incident "The Maxwell Church Tragedy," the lone survivor was a young boy that would forever be known as "Maxwell's Demon." _

He rushed into the shop and quickly ran past Broznan to the back, calling to him that he was going to go put the stuff he'd bought away and take a nap upstairs in the apartment. When he got up there he washed his dirt covered face in the sink and threw on a fresh pair of jeans and work T-Shirt. He heard Broz coming up to talk to him, and he didn't blame him… he had rushed in awfully fast. "Hey dude, are you ok?"

Duo just looked at him and walked over to throw his dirty clothes in the laundry basket. "Yeah, I'm fine… just got into a bit of a fight with some thugs and ran into someone I'd rather not have."

"Oh really? And who would that be?"

"Just someone I knew from the Preventers… took me by surprise to see her here. I don't think she recognized me though… thankfully. I just want to forget that part of my life ever happened, yah know?" He sighed.

"I hear yah, it was rotten what happened man… But it's all good now, you got me after all. But rest up a bit, you look like you need it," the taller male smiled. Duo thanked him and walked into his room, flopping down onto the bed when he heard Broz heading back downstairs at the sound of the little tinkling bell above the door. He was very grateful he'd found a friend like Broznan here to numb his pain.

* * *

About an hour after Duo had gone to sleep a small group of five came into the store, four young men and a woman… Broz's right eyebrow raised at the sight of their Preventers' uniforms. '_These must be who Duo was talking about,' _he though_t. _

The woman walked over to him and smiled, "Do you have a younger brunette male working here for you?"

"I might… why do you ask?" He answered.

"We saw him get into a fight earlier and take a pretty hard hit… we just wanted to make sure that he was alright," she replied.

"Ohhh, yeah he's upstairs in the apartment sleeping right now. He's got pretty thick skin, we both do… growing up on the streets and all… thanks for the concern though. We don't get many people like you around here that actually care."

Sally raised an eyebrow at that statement, "Don't the police or Preventers' branch here take care of anyone?"

"Nah they're too busy doing their own thing to care about us, Miss. I take it you five aren't from the L2 branch then, are you?" He didn't know that Duo had been off of the colony before… how else would he known this woman?

"This is our first time to your colony. We're here on a mission… which is another reason why we wanted to check on your friend." He looked at her curiously. "We need a guide, so to speak, someone that can help us blend in better here… obviously the Preventers' uniforms aren't winning us any favors."

He laughed, most of the people on the colony hated the Preventers almost as much as Duo did. "Well… I'm not sure that he's gonna be up to helping yah to be honest. He's not the biggest fan of your agency's. But if there's anything you need feel free to come back and I'll help in any way that I can. I have quite a few connections." He grabbed one of the store's business cards from behind the counter and wrote his cell number on it as well so they could get in touch with him. He figured if he helped them a little then they wouldn't have any reason to bother Duo again if they saw him… he'd do anything he could to protect his friend from getting hurt again… after all he'd made a promise.

Sally smiled, "Thank you, Mr?"

"Names Broznan, Miss?" he replied.

"Po, Sally Po. The four behind me are Agents Yuy, Winner, Barton and Chang. We'll be heading out now, thank you for your help Mr. Broznan, we'll be sure to contact you soon," she smiled as they five of them exited the little shop, causing Broz to sigh with relief… bullet dodged.

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AN: I think I should be able to upload to rest of this story when I wake back up! Time to go sleep X.x


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

Broznan heaved a sigh of relief, he was very thankful that Duo hadn't decided to wake up and come downstairs while the Preventers' agents were there. He wasn't sure if those were the agents that his friend had been talking about, but he figured that it didn't matter. After what happened to him, he figured that Duo wouldn't really want to have anything to do with any Preventers' agents, whether he knew them or not.

He was shaken from his thoughts as the brunette in question walked downstairs and into the shop, groaning. Despite his usual grumpy 'I just woke up' attitude, he looked a little bit more relaxed than he had before his nap.

"Morning sunshine," Broznan greeted.

"I was only out for a couple hours… it's not morning," Duo grumbled. "Anything interesting happen while I was asleep?"

Broznan seemed to ponder something for a moment, judging whether he should tell Duo exactly what happened or not, at least for right now. "There was a group of Preventers' agents that stopped in for a little bit about an hour ago." He finally said, testing the waters.

"A group…" Duo repeated, slowly. "How many?"

"Five, I think…" he replied. "One woman and four younger guys… all pretty good looking, I gotta admit."

Duo's eyes widened slightly. _'This can't be happening,' _he thought.

"Everything ok?" Broznan asked.

"Yeah… at least I think so. Did they happen to give you their names?" He ventured to ask.

"Ummm…" His taller friend looked a little uneasy for a moment. "Well, I think they said their names were Agents Po, Yuy, Chang, Barton and Winner."

Duo collapsed onto the small chair behind the counter and took his head into his hands, mumbling something that sounded an awful lot like, "Why me? Why now? What did I do to deserve this?"

Broznan walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, in a comforting manner. For a moment he wondered if telling the other had been such a good idea after all. _'Oh well, he was gonna find out sooner or later… seems like he knew them after all.' _

After what seemed like a long time, Duo finally spoke. "What did they want?"

"Help…" Broznan said. "They said they're on some sort of mission and they needed help blending in, or something like that." Duo nodded slightly, encouraging him to go on. "They were gonna ask you, if they could… but I volunteered instead."

Duo looked up at him, confusion evident in his features. "Really, why would you do that? You don't like the Preventers much more than I do right now."

He shrugged. "Well, I figured after everything you've gone through… you wouldn't want to have anything to do with them in the slightest. Besides, I can put aside my dislike for them temporarily if it means that they'll leave you alone." Broznan smiled and gave the smaller teen a gentle squeeze to his shoulder.

"Thanks man, I really appreciate it."

"What're friends for? Solo would have killed me if I'd done it any differently. But I do have a question…" Broznan said, looking thoughtful. "Who are they… I can tell you know them."

"Just some people from my past that I'd really rather forget about right now," Duo sighed.

Broznan just nodded. If Duo didn't want to share the details with him, then he wasn't going to be the one pry. He knew all too well what it was like to have a past that one wished could be forgotten.

* * *

When Sally, Heero, Wufei, Quatre and Trowa had gotten back to their 'home' that they were currently occupying while on L2 they'd sat down and agreed that the first step in their plan was to call up Broznan and see if they could get him to take them on a quick tour/History lesson of the colony, from the point of view of a local. He'd agreed to meet them the next day around lunch time at a little pub not too far from his shop, and he'd urged them to wear civilian clothing so they could blend in better.

So there the five of them were, in a round booth in the corner of a not half-bad looking pub in the 'slums' of L2... Waiting for their guide.

"So, what kind of things do you think we're going to be learning today?" Quatre asked.

"I'm not sure," Sally said after a few moments. "I don't know much about the colony I'm afraid, other than it's a very poor one. Did Maxwell ever mention anything to you four?"

At the mention of Duo, they looked quite saddened. But it was Quatre again that spoke up. "I'm afraid not. Duo always seemed a bit… reluctant to tell us about where he grew up. All he would say was that he wished he'd never have to come back here."

Sally nodded and was about to say something until a deep baritone voice stopped her. "Well, times a wastin' why don't we get started eh?"

"Hello again Mr. Broznan." Quatre forced out with a smile. He was afraid that the little remembrance of Duo had made them all a bit tense momentarily. "Why don't you sit with us for a moment and let us know where you'll be taking us today?"

Following Quatre's subtle order Broznan took a seat at the edge of the booth. "Well, for starters I thought I'd just take you around the colony a bit and answer any questions that you might have. Maybe a few of the places I knew from my childhood, and take it from there?"

"I guess that works for now," Sally said. "Well then I guess we'll follow you."

And with that, the six of them got up and left the pub for the dusty streets of L2.

One of the first things that they noticed, while Broznan was busy pointing out little places where his childhood street gang would hide out, was that the weather on the colony was either freezing or scorching… there was no happy spring or fall type of weather. Quatre's heart began to ache for all the children that were stuck living on the streets in conditions like these with no place to call their home. No one should have to live like this… especially after the war had been over.

Broznan just kept going on about a lot of the horrible things that ailed the street kids, like the outbreaks of disease that could cut their groups in half in a matter of days… to the times when the Alliance soldiers saw fit to use them as targets for their anger, whether they were the cause of it or not. Each thing that their guide said just brought a new pang to the blonde's heart. He thought that they'd heard the worse of it, that was until they came to the ruins of an old building with a memorial plaque in front of it, that read _**'Site of the Maxwell Church Tragedy' **_and he froze.

"Maxwell Church Tragedy…" he read out loud, gathering the attention of his companions. _"This is the site of the Maxwell Church tragedy, where 245 people were killed. The colony's rebellion suppressed by the Alliance and OZ's crack troops. The people came to call this incident 'The Maxwell Church Tragedy.' Despite all the death and carnage that was suffered here there was one survivor, an orphaned boy that the Church's proprietors had taken in as their own. Though, to this day no one knows what has become of the boy that had been dubbed 'Maxwell's Demon.' He ran his fingers over the lettering and looked at the ruins. _

_They were all broken from their thoughts by Broznan. "They were kind people, Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. They took in a lot o' us street kids back in the day, gave us food and a place to live until we were adopted. There was only one of us though that never left… I'm not sure why exactly, but he just kept gettin' sent back." He shook his head, "I was relieved when we heard that he wasn't killed in the explosion, or the fire after. He was alive and I felt like I hadn't broken my promise to ol' Solo, a promise to keep him safe. But he disappeared, and we had no idea where to." _

_They looked at him, wondering if the boy he was talking about was the one they had been thinking about just before he'd shown up at the pub. Looking back at the ruins, Quatre felt his heart clench tightly again, thinking about what it must have been like to have to live on the streets, find a home in a church and then watch it all burn away in a matter of moments. If it had been Duo that Broznan was talking about, then some of the things that he'd let slip during the war about feeling like the 'God of Death' finally started making sense. To someone like Duo, who would have had all of this happen to him, it would really start to feel like death followed you everywhere you went. Quatre had always had the feeling that out of all of them Duo didn't feel like he had anything to lose. Quatre had his family, Trowa and Heero had pasts that they couldn't remember and Wufei had his honor. With this new revelation it seemed like Duo didn't have anything to look forward to after the war, and his suicide seemed to make more sense, though Quatre couldn't ever fully understand it… after all he did have them. _

_Shaken from his thoughts again by Broznan's deep voice, he looked up. "Well, I think that this will be the end of the history lesson for one day." _

"_Mind if I ask you something before you go?" Quatre ventured. _

"_Shoot."_

"_The boy you were talking about… his name wasn't Duo Maxwell was it?" The other four looked at him with wide eyes, having been wondering the same thing but not sure if they wanted to know the answer. _

"_Why do you ask?" _

"_Well, you see we had a friend in the war named Duo Maxwell, that was from this colony. He never really told us much about where and how he grew up… and we never got to ask him about his past before we were told that he'd taken his own life. I guess knowing a bit about his past… it might give us some closure?" _

"_Well," Broznan stammered, looking slightly caught off guard. He'd have to ask Duo about this staged suicide thing later. "Yeah… yeah his name was Duo, though I had no idea that he ran off and fought in the war. What did you guys do anyway… you don't look old enough to be soldiers, no offense." _

"_We were pilots," Heero stated, "Gundam Pilots. I was the pilot of Wing, Winner of Sandrock, Barton of Heavyarms, Chang of Shenlong and Maxwell was the pilot of Deathscythe." _

"_Wow…" Broznan said, which was the only thing he thought he could get into words at that moment. Yeah, he was definitely going to have to have a little chat later with Duo._

* * *

_AN: _

_To Pikeebo: Yeah, one would usually think that after the war Duo would have known his friends better than that. But for this story I wanted to play on what I thought might have been Duo's insecurities. Following the deaths of those close to him, I wanted him to have a kind of vulnerability where as he wanted to feel that they were friends, but deep in his mind he wasn't going to allow himself to be completely open with them and let himself to get hurt. So when Relena said what she said in a way it was what he always dreaded would happen. _


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

"Welcome back, how'd it go?" Duo greeted as Broznan pushed open the door to the little shop.

"Not bad I guess…" The other male sighed. It's true that things didn't go badly, however he believed that _he _left the encounter with more questions than the other party had… that was for sure.

He knew that Duo disappeared after the Maxwell Church burned down, but he had no idea that the braided kid had joined the war effort… as a Gundam Pilot none the less. Duo wasn't just any Gundam Pilot either, he was the pilot of Deathscythe. He remembered stories about that particular Gundam during the war and it's pilot. Out of all the Gundams, Deathscythe and it's pilot had been then ones that had caused the most carnage… they said that it was like he was the God of Death incarnate, or a real-life demon. Everywhere he went death and destruction was left in his wake. Now, he was to find out that the kid he and Solo cared for when they were younger was the same person behind the stories? He just had a difficult time trying to process it.

"You sure dude? You sure look like something's botherin' yah." Duo said, shaking him from his thoughts. He looked up to see concern swimming in those violet orbs.

"Yeah, it's just… why didn't you tell me? We've known each other since we were little tykes and you've been here for over a year now…"

"What are you talkin' about?" Duo questioned.

Broznan sighed and ran a hand through his sandy locks. "Why didn't you tell me you were one of the Gundam Pilots?"

Duo looked taken aback for a moment before he finally composed himself enough to answer, despite his shock. "How did you find out about that?"

"Well, I was showin' them around the colony, yah know, and they started asking questions. They asked me if I knew you, and I asked them why… that's when they brought up that they were Gundam Pilots… just like you."

"What exactly did you show them that made them ask about me all of a sudden?" Duo questioned, he wasn't sure exactly how he felt about those five talking about him.

"We were just wandering around and then the little blonde one saw the ruins of the old church and read the memorial. They kindda put two and two together… wanted to know if you were the one that survived. After talkin' with me they knew I was there too, and so there yah go they wanted to know if I knew you…" Broznan wondered how this suddenly turned out with him being the questioned… wasn't he supposed to be the one with all the questions?

"Oh…" Duo said softly as he slumped down into the chair he'd previously been occupying. "Why do they even care?" He muttered to himself.

"They said they wanted… closure."

"Closure? Closure for what?! They were the ones that left me to rot back here on this damn colony… no offense." Duo shot at him.

"None taken, I hate it here too… but they said something about you being dead… Did you expect them to come looking for yah if they thought you died?" Broznan shot back.

Any thoughts Broznan had that Duo had faked his own suicide were soon washed away by the expression on the brunette's face. It was clear that he was shocked to hear about his supposed death.

"But… why would they think I was dead? I'm obviously not dead… did they think that I would come here and die like so many of the other street kids?" He wasn't even sure if Duo was talking to him, or talking to himself at this point.

"Duo?" He said quietly, shaking the teen's shoulder.

"Huh?"

"I don't think that they sent you here to die…"

"Why?" It was like reassuring a child, a very insecure child.

Broznan smiled softly and knelt down so he was eye level with his friend. "Well Duo, they thought that you killed yourself…"

Duo gasped and just shook his head. "Well… I can't deny that I've thought about it before, yah know. With all the death and shit that's followed me through the years it would have just been easier to let it all go. But I'm no coward, and that just felt like a _cowardly _thing to do."

Broznan hugged his friend and sighed. "I know kid, I know… but if you thought that they abandoned you, and they thought you were dead… what the hell's going on?"

Duo Shrugged. "Beats the hell outta me, man…" he started to say, but stopped. A range of emotions shot through his features, surprise, shock, anger, hatred and then finally sadness. "Relena." He finally said after a while.

Broznan looked confused for a moment. "The Peacecraft bitch? What's she got to do with it?"

"It's gotta be her, Broz! I just don't know how I never saw it before now… she always hated me during the war. That prissy, pain in the ass always got jealous cause of how much time I spent around Yuy. She couldn't stand that her 'Perfect Soldier' might actually enjoy hanging around with a street rat from L2 more than her."

"Yuy? You mean the brooding, silent one?"

"Yeah, tall, dark and … never mind, that's not important right now. Anyway, she was the one that brought me the mission that I got sent here on… it was Relena that told me that my friends didn't want anything to do with me anymore. She has to be the one that told them I was dead!" Duo looked furious.

"Well if it's like that then it should be easy to fix shouldn't it? If they never hated yah then you can just go and tell them you're alive!" Broznan smiled. He was about the congratulate himself for coming up the solution, until he saw Duo's expression.

"I can't do that," Duo sighed. "Not now…"

"And why not?"

"I as good as betrayed them… they were my friends and what did I do? I didn't trust them! I believed that pink horror, over what I probably should have been able to figure out for myself. I sure as hell wouldn't want anything to do with me if I were them. They got their closure now for my death, I should probably just leave it at that… that way I can't shame them anymore." Duo said with a sad smile, the shimmer of tears starting to form in his eyes.

"You sure you're ok with that though, D?" He asked.

"Hell no… but for them I'm gonna have to be aren't I?"

"If you say so…" All Broznan knew was that he sure as hell didn't think that it was what was for the 'best.' He could tell just by looking at the kid that he missed his friends more than even he wanted to admit. He knew from spending time with said friends that they missed him more than he realized… they'd probably give anything just to hear his voice again. But, more than anything he knew how stubborn the brunette was… he wasn't going to budge on his decision. At least he wouldn't, unless he didn't have any other choice. And, with that Broznan made up his mind, he'd just have to find a way to get them all face to face again… even Duo couldn't hide from the truth then.

Duo never told a lie, but by not telling his friends the truth… he was walking that line like a very thin tightrope.

* * *

"Hey, Lin!" Broznan called to the thin woman standing at the bar of the pub he'd met with Duo's friends at.

"What is it now Broz? It's dangerous for us to be meeting here so close to the shop you know… what if he sees us" She barked, amethyst eyes glaring daggers at him.

Broz chuckled, this girl was too much sometimes. "Nice to see yah too, lookin' good." Seeing that she wasn't amused he got to the point. "Yah know those Preventers' Agents I agreed to help out the other day? Well it turns out they're Duo's friends, and they're here for some kind of investigation."

"Duo's friends with Preventers' agents?" She asked.

"Well duh… he was one too, remember?" He sighed. "Anyway, I have a feeling they're here looking into the CLA most likely… so if I were you I'd make myself scarce for a while alright? If they go down I don't want you going down with them."

"But Broz, you know I can't just do that to Jonathan! What'll he think if his wife just abandons him?" She hissed, grabbing the front of his shirt.

"I'm not telling you to abandon him, hun… just let him know what's going on and I'm sure he'll agree with me. After all, someone has to look after your brats if something happens… and I already got my hands full! Besides… Duo doesn't need to lose anyone else." He said, calmly.

"He can't lose me if he doesn't even remember me, Broz…" She sighed.

"So what if he doesn't remember you Aislinn… it doesn't change anything. I promised you and Solo that I'd look out for him, and I'm tryin'. But you gotta look out for yourself too… I can't do everything myself here." She looked like she was about to send another biting remark his way, but he stopped her when he saw someone through the window. "Get outta here… and just do what I say, please?"

"Fine…" She agreed as she pushed the dark sunglasses over her vivid violet eyes and pulled her scarf up over her mouth. As she walked to the door she saw what had Broznan on edge, because in walked the very five Preventers' agents that he'd pointed out to her a week before. She watched through the window as they walked over to the same booth in the corner they sat at last week, smirking as she saw Broz walking over to join them.

* * *

"Nice to see you again, Miss Po. How's the mission going?" Broznan said with a smile on his face as he walked over to the booth, carrying a tray full of waters for the group. "If you let me know what you're investigating exactly I might be able to help a bit."

"Thanks Broznan," Sally said as the man set a water in front of her, and the rest of the group. "Right now we're just in the information gathering stage of the mission. We're looking into a group that calls themselves the CLA, the…"

"…Colony Liberation Association." He finished.

"So, I take it you've heard of them then?" Wufei said.

"Yeah… a bit." Broz sighed.

"Well then, mind telling us what you know?" Quatre smiled.

Broz figured that he could tell them the basics without giving away any names… he didn't want to be the cause of anyone he knew getting arrested. "Well, what exactly have you heard? I'll just try and fill in with anything new I might know."

The five agents exchanged looks before Heero spoke, in his usual mission-like monotone. "We were told that the CLA was making threats against Miss Peacecraft and the peace that we have fought so hard to bring about. Our mission is to make sure that nothing threatens this peace. That's all we know right now, and we only had rumors to go on… which you have just confirmed for us."

"Well," Broznan gulped. "I'm not gonna lie to you, cause I don't do that kind of thing. Miss Peacecraft if not very well liked among the people of this colony, and I'm sure that there are plenty here that would like to see and end put to her… but none that would actually take extreme measures to do so, not even the CLA. I don't even think you can count them as an actual threat to peace either."

"Then what exactly are they?" Sally asked, taking out her notepad.

"Well, they have made idle threats against the Peacecraft woman, that I do know." Heero nodded, like that was all he needed hear. "But, they don't have the resources to carry anything out and they probably wouldn't even if they could. It's a very small group of people that are mostly just trying to get her to clean up the colony like she promised to do. The community counsels of L2 have left petitions and many inquiries with her office about the matter, but so far it's all gone ignored."

Quatre looked shocked. "We were all under the impression, that restructuring had already started to take place… there's evidence of it in some areas of the colony."

Broznan shook his head, sadly. "Agent Winner, would you put a band aid over a bullet hole?"

"No…"

"Things on all the colonies weren't very pleasant before the war, though they couldn't exactly be considered unpleasant either… am I right?" He asked. When the others nodded, he continued. "Where the colonies maybe had some bumps and bruises, L2 had gaping wounds. Our whole colony isn't a festering cesspool, not by a long shot… we do have wealthy people and politicians, just like any other community. But our poor, and our homeless far outnumber them." They all just watched him as he spoke. "Instead of coming in and building better schools, building orphanages for the children abandoned by the war… the already wealthy just filled their pockets. They made their homes grander, their children's schools nicer. And when the colonies population saw that the minor things that are going wrong in the other colonies were getting fixed… they start anticipating the day that it would finally start here."

"As they should…" Sally started to say, but was silenced when the older male held up a finger.

"You're right, but the thing is… it never came. They built some new apartments and houses, making the prices just out of reach of the common folk. They put in some nice fancy shops that we couldn't afford to buy from. Instead of coming in and cleaning out all the dirt and grime like they should have, they just swept the dust under the rug and pushed those of us that were already suffering back further. Over half the population is poor, or homeless, and now we have to live closer together in less space than we had before… and the only person some can find to blame is Relena Peacecraft. So, some of the citizens have taken it upon themselves, myself not included, to try to scare her into actually taking an interest in our home. They just want someone to do something, before it's too late…" He finished, looking at the water glass in his hands. When he looked up, they all looked stunned into silence. Quatre was clutching his chest, Sally's mouth was agape, Wufei and Heero had their fists clenched and Trowa had his arm the small blonde, trying to soothe him.

It was Sally that spoke up again. "We… we had no idea."

"It's ok, I didn't really expect you to. Most of the higher ups at the Preventers' branch here have taken pay offs from the rich, just like the politicians… so they don't do anything either."

"It sounds to me like we need to report this to Commander Une. What is needed here might not be to stop a potential threat, but to stop an injustice that has already taken hold." Wufei said.

"If Duo were with us, I'm sure he would have noticed something like this happening." Quatre sighed, sadly.

Broznan looked at the small blonde, appreciatively. "You really miss him, don't you?"

"Of course!" He exclaimed. "We all do, very much… some more than others." He couldn't help but notice the glance that the other sent in Yuy's direction.

"He had his more annoying moments…" Wufei grunted. "But, I know I for one would give just about anything to have him playing his little pranks on me again."

"He was a good friend." Trowa said.

"You said you knew him too… I'm sure you miss him as well?" Sally asked.

"Oh? Yeah, of course I do… It's just sometimes it feels like he's still around." He choked out.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," she smiled. "I'm sorry, this might not be the right time… but I think we should be getting back to report to our Commander."

"You mean back to Earth?" He squeaked.

"No, no… just a video conference. We need to let her know what we found out, and see what can be done about this. Is there anything else you'd like to let us know?"

"Nope, that's it…" He said, as they all started getting up out of their seats. While they were putting on their coats he seemed to come to a decision that he'd been wrestling with. "Hey, I'm gonna be having a little get together at my place this weekend… would you all like to stop by?"

"Ummm…" Sally said, looking around at her companions. "Sure, why not? It'd be nice to meet some more of the locals, get their perspective on things?"

"It's a date then," he smiled. "I'll see you all on Saturday , you know where it's at."

"Thank you, we'll be sure to stop by." Sally said. And with that they all left the little pub, going in their opposite directions.

* * *

AN: It seems like Broznan is going to be putting his little idea of bringing them all face to face, sooner rather than later. How is Commander Une going to take the news of this mysterious CLA and how things on the colony are being handled? How are the others going to react when they finally come face to face with Duo again? And who is this mysterious Aislinn?


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

Commander Une just finished her final bit of paperwork for the day when her video phone rang. Sighing, she typed in her pass code and hit the 'accept call' button. The screen flickered to life to reveal the face of her friend, Sally Po. _'Ah, update about the mission I hope,' _she thought. "Why hello there Sally, what can I do for you?"

"I've got some interesting information about this CLA that you sent us to investigate." Sally said.

"Oh? That's good news, what did you manage to find?" She smiled.

"Well like I told you last time we talked, we managed to get a local to show us around a bit and give us some insight. It turns out he knew a bit about this 'group' that we were sent here to dismantle." Une motioned for her to go on. "I think we should try and investigate everything I'm about to tell you, but I don't think that this group is our most pressing concern?"

"Why would you say that, Sally? From what Miss Peacecraft's office said, they're trying to start another war."

"I'm sorry Commander, but it seems that our sources feel otherwise." It was Wufei this time that spoke. "They don't seem to have the funds, nor the drive, to start another war. They're just trying to pressure Miss Peacecraft into taking action with the colony. It would appear that L2 has been… neglected. They seem to hold her responsible for doing nothing to prevent this, despite repeated requests for the help."

"According to Miss Peacecraft's office the same in amount in funds has been sent to L2 as to the rest of the colonies." Une said, calmly.

"That's what we thought, but Yuy did some hacking into the financial records here on the colony and they've actually only managed to get a quarter of the funds they were allotted… in addition to that none of it has gone to the districts here that need the actual help. I know it's not Peacecraft's responsibility, directly, that the funds never made it to the appropriate places… however, it would appear she had knowledge of what was going on and never saw fit to inform anyone who could do something about it." He finished.

Une pondered this for a moment. She knew from recent talks with the young politician that she didn't care too much for the colony of L2 itself… but she never thought that it would lead to actual neglect of this level. All she would have had to do was pass the information on to herself and she would have made sure that the Preventers' Branch on L2 had taken care of it.

"I'm sorry Commander, but to me it just feels like she almost doesn't want this colony to succeed… it's like she wants them to cause a problem so that action has to be taken." Sally sighed.

"So it would seem… but who is this source? Are they reliable enough to launch a special inquiry into this matter?" Une asked.

"In my opinion, I'd say yes. His name is Broznan Mills, and it seems that he's an old pre-war friend of Duo Maxwell's. I think that if Maxwell could put his trust in this man, we should be able to as well." Sally said.

"Ok then, I'll trust your instincts Sally… but I'm going to be keeping this quiet for now so Relena doesn't catch on, just in case. I also want you five to try and find the leaders of this group so we can begin some kind of negotiations with them. Make sure to inform them that there won't be any criminal charges, unless they do something to betray our trust, understood?"

"Understood, we'll see if Mr. Mills happens to know who we can get in contact with that will lead us to them." Sally smiled.

"Ok then, is there anything else I can do for you before I go home for some much needed rest?" Une asked.

"I don't think so, have a good night."

"And you as well," she said as she hit the 'disconnect' button. At last, it seemed that the Peacecraft girl's true colors were starting to shine through. She always had a feeling that the girl wasn't as much the Pacifist as she claimed to be. _'This could get interesting…'_

* * *

Broznan sighed as he walked into this shop, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Hey Duo, anything happen while I was away?"

"Nope, not much… just got to thinking, I guess." The brunette teen answered.

"Oh? About what?" He asked.

"Do you know how to cut hair?" Came the reply.

"What the hell for?! You're not seriously thinking about cutting your hair off!"

"Not ALL of it… just you know trimming it up a bit. It's getting a little bit too long. Don't you think it might be a bit more manageable if I just take it back to where it was when I was in the Church?" He motioned to a spot just below his shoulder blades.

"Oh… for a second I thought you were gonna say you wanted it all gone or some shit."

"Hell no, it always reminds me of my past… the good memories more than the bad. I don't think I could ever completely get rid of it." He laughed.

"Good… but instead of there, how about here?" He slid his finger a little lower than where Duo's hand had been, to a point that was at about the middle of his back. "It'd still be manageable… but you'd still look like you."

"Ok, works for me… so ya think you can do it?"

"Yeah, no problem." He said.

"Sweet, thanks! I wanna look my best for your party after all." Duo winked. "How old are ya turnin' anyway, old man!" There was a sharp smack to the back of his head. "Hey! What the hell was that for?"

"Don't ever call me old again," he smirked.

"Well, if the geriatric slipper fits…." There was another smack. "Ok, ok… no more old man jokes, I swear."

"Good, I'm only gonna be 26 after all…"

Duo whistled. "Well, I'm only 18... So that means when were on the streets together you were what, 12?"

"Sure thing kiddo… but you know Solo was 13 right?" He sighed. "I'm eight years older than you, and yet you're the one that actually went out to try and make a difference in the war effort… and you were what, only 15 at the time?"

"Yeah, sounds about right. Oh man, hard to believe that was only three years ago, eh?"

"Yeah, I know… just remember, I hadn't seen you since you were seven… I think. I should have been there to protect you."

Duo just waved him off. "It's not your fault, I was a little reckless after the church burned down. Got myself into a lot of trouble, then I stowed away on a Sweeper's ship. That's how I got roped into piloting Scythe… she was a beauty, that Gundam. Sometimes I miss her." He sat down on a stool and took the tie out of his hair, letting it cascade in Chestnut waves down his back… reaching the floor. Duo was right, it had gotten a bit too long… much longer and he'd have to start hiding up in a tower and waiting for a prince to use it as a rope to come and save him, just like in that one children's story.

Broznan took the hair in his hands and combed it out, imagining what it would be like to have been a Gundam Pilot. He didn't think he could have handled the killing part, he wasn't a very violent person. But, he knew it had to be the ultimate freedom… flying around out there in space in the cockpit of one those beautiful Machines. "I saw your friends again today." He said, as he picked up a pair of scissors and started sniping at the strands of the teen's hair.

"Yeah? Are they gonna be leaving anytime soon you think?" Duo asked calmly.

"Not sure, I now know that they're looking into that CLA group that started up here… but I told them all the information that I can."

"Yeah, they're pretty harmless… all talk. It's not like they could, or even would, actually do anything to hurt Bitchcraft or the peace. As much as I'd like to see her suffer." he snorted.

"Yeah, I told 'em pretty much the same thing, minus the hoping she'd suffer part… if they decide to take them down anyway I don't want them thinking I'm the next threat."

"Don't blame ya… Yuy was never one to take threats to Her Royal Paincess lightly. They're probably married by now, never really paid much attention to the news. Gotta defend her honor at every turn!"

After sniping away the last bit that he would and making sure everything was even, he looked up. "Oh? Yuy has a thing for her? Could have fooled me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Duo asked as he turned around to face the older male.

"Nothing much, just whenever Winner mentioned her, he kind of got a look of disgust on his face… but when he mentioned you…." He smirked.

"Me? Why the Hell would Perfect Soldier Yuy look, well anything, about me?" Duo asked.

"I'm not the one who knew him… you were. And didn't you say that you used to hang around him a long during the war?" He asked.

"Well, yeah… But I was pretty much just as annoying as she was to him. The only difference was the didn't threaten to kill me as much."

"Ah, well maybe I was just seeing things. Guess we'll never know, will we?" He smirked to himself as he turned his face away from the other. He could just imagine the pout on Duo's face. He just hoped that sowing this little seed of curiosity into his head was enough to make him not want to run and hide himself when they all showed up at his party.

* * *

AN: I know this chapter was a little bit shorter, but I want to put a lot more into the next one, let the party begin!


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

A week after their last meeting with Broznan, Sally, Wufei, Heero, Trowa and Quatre were all getting ready for the party. Not sure what the party was for, they didn't know if it was of a 'formal' or 'casual' nature. It was Trowa, however, that finally settled things for them.

"Casual." Came the short response to an unasked, but thought of, question.

"You're sure?" Sally asked.

"It makes sense," Quatre nodded. "The shop is in one of the poorer parts of the colony, isn't it? So I doubt that many people invited would have 'formal' clothing anyway. So it must be casual."

"Hn." Heero grunted, he'd not bothered to think of it that way. After all, it was just a party for someone that Duo knew, on a colony that reminded him of Duo. The sooner they could get out of the place, the better. He already went through enough pain each day thinking about the braided pilot, and the things that could have been. He didn't exactly like being in a place that made him have to see the horrors that had probably driven the one he loved, to do the things he did that took him away from him forever. He knew it was selfish of him, the people of this colony deserved everything they had to offer, but he couldn't help the way he felt. He may not show too many emotions outwardly, and he probably never would now that Duo was gone, but he that didn't meant he didn't have them… the other teen had made sure to rip those right out into existence before he left. But, he couldn't bring himself to wish that he hadn't… it wasn't the weakness that he used to think it was.

"Shall we get going then?" Quatre asked with a smile, which shook Heero from his thoughts. The look the blonde was giving him let him know that even if he was fooling the others into thinking that he had no feelings on any of this, he couldn't fool the 'Space Heart.' Groaning inwardly, he nodded an affirmative and out the door they went.

The journey to the shop didn't take long, as usual. They grabbed a cab just outside their rental and paid when he dropped them off at the entrance to the street where they'd first encountered the mysterious worker from Broznan's shop. After all, no cab driver on L2 would every drive down that street in their right mind.

As they made their way closer to the shop they quickly became aware of the pulsating music, and saw the outline of a big sign pinned up that read _'HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROZNAN!'_ showing them what the occasion was. Quatre gasped. "We didn't get him anything!"

"Well it's not like he told us the party was for his birthday… I'm sure it's fine. Besides, we hardly know the guy, what exactly would we get him anyway?" Wufei said.

"I guess you're right." The blonde sighed, pushing open the door and leading them inside.

One thing was for sure, Broznan knew how to throw a party… and lack of finances didn't seem to be an issue. The place was packed, there was food, there was music and there was liquor… however, out of their group the only one legally able to drink it was Sally. They figured if Duo were still alive a little thing like age wouldn't have stopped him from raiding the booze table. They looked around, spotting Broznan off talking to a few people on the other side of the room… when he noticed them he excused himself and made his way in their direction.

"So, what do ya think?" He asked, yelling over the music.

"Not bad, looks like quite the blow out!" Sally yelled back. "Sorry we didn't bring you anything, we had no idea it was your birthday."

"Pfft," he waved it off with a smile on his face. "It's all good… not much of a gifts and cake kindda guy anyway. I just like having the excuse to give everyone in the area a reason to enjoy themselves once in a while… take their minds off things."

"That's very kind of you." Quatre said at the changing of songs. Broznan just smiled back at him for a moment, before he started groaning. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, it's just… not this song." He said, shaking his head.

Quatre was about to ask, but then his eyes were drawn to the dance floor in the center of the room. Out there was the young man they encountered that day on the street. He had on a pair of tighter, dark-wash jeans and long-sleeved, black button down shirt rolled up to his elbows… hair free and cascading down in waves down his back, topped with a black fedora hat, swaying with him as he moved with the music. He was momentarily entranced, the way the other man moved along with the music was almost… magical.

* * *

"_Hey Q-Bean come dance with me… this is my jam!" Duo said as he danced around to the song that came on the radio, in one of their many safe houses. He smiled, it was so typical of Duo to find an excuse to dance during the war… and he couldn't help but find himself being dragged into the impromptu dance party as well._

* * *

"Quatre? Earth to Quatre… are you ok?" Sally asked, waving her hand in front of her face.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry… just remembering something for a moment," he said weakly. "I'm glad to see he's doing better." He motioned to the brunette on the dance floor.

"Yeah, it was his idea to do this when he came here last year. I feel like sometimes he needs this more than anyone else…." Broznan smiled. "Doesn't remember when his own birthday is, so we kind of just both use mine, I guess."

They all watched him dance around with a smile on his face. Quatre was sure that there'd be a sparkle in his eyes if they could see them, but alas they were covered by a pair of stylish sunglasses. They watched as he was joined by some others, and then a woman about his height came and danced next to him… mirroring his movements.

Broz groaned, "Why Aislinn, why right now?" He muttered to himself, but Quatre heard it.

"What's wrong with them dancing together? Do they not get along?"

The older male looked shocked for a moment. "Oh it's nothing like that… he doesn't know her."

"Oh?" Quatre smirked.

"He doesn't know her… but she's his older sister. She's stayed back behind the scenes for so long now… I have no idea why she'd pick tonight to come out to him."

"What makes you so sure she's going to say anything tonight?" Quatre asked, it looked like a bit of harmless dancing to him. He followed Broznan's finger as he pointed, watching as the woman led the younger male off the dance floor and over by where the food was set up. "Ahhh…. Wouldn't it be nice for him to get to know his sister, though?"

"Normally I'd say yes… but not tonight. I already had a big surprise planned for him. I'm not sure if he'll be able to handle two shocks like this in one night…"

Quatre was just about to ask what he meant, but was stopped when it looked like the boy had feinted. The woman caught him and her head whipped around until it appeared she spotted Broznan and motioned him over with her head. It was evident she couldn't support his weight on her own for long. "Shit…" he muttered, as he ran over to them.

Quatre looked over at Sally, "Do you think…"

"Yeah I'll go with him and make sure everything's ok… stay here though, I don't think we need to overcrowd them." She said, taking off in the same direction as their host. The four of them just watched as Broznan, with Sally's help, carried the brunette upstairs into what they assumed was an above-store apartment.

* * *

"What happened exactly?' Sally asked as Broznan lead her and the other woman to the upstairs apartment.

"Nothing… we were just dancing and then talking…" came the woman's response.

"Aislinn… I told you what I was trying to do tonight… why'd you pick now to tell him? You could have told any time… why now?" Broznan asked as he put his friend down on a bed.

"How could I not!" She exclaimed, slapping him in the arm. "You were gonna tell them! They were gonna take him away again! What if I never got another chance." Sally watched as she weakly beat her fists against his chest.

Bringing her fingers to the side of his neck, and her eyes to her watch, she counted in her head. "His heartbeat seems to be stable… Mr. Mills you could please grab me a cool cloth for his head? I imagine he's going to have a bit of a headache when he comes to."

She watched as the man in question left the room, before she turned to Aislinn. "I know it's none of my business… but who's coming to take him away? Is he in some kind of trouble?"

"Humph," she huffed, turning her head to the side. "Like you wouldn't know… it's you and your friends after all. Didn't get enough of him during the war did you! Just have to waltz in and take him back with you again don't ya! I just got him back!"

Hearing the yells, Broznan rushed in and restrained the other woman. Sally had a look of shock on her face, what was this woman talking about? What would the Preventers want with this boy? She looked up at Broz with a questioning look, who just looked away and handed her the cloth.

Sighing she took it and walked over to the boy on the bed. Bending down, she removed his shades and made to sweep his bangs back from his forehead, so she could place the cloth… and gasped. "Oh… my… god…" She swung around looking at the taller male. "Is that…" and he just nodded. "But how…"

* * *

Quatre gasped as he clutched at his chest. He couldn't explain the jolt of emotion that he felt coming from Sally in the upstairs apartment. He'd been tuning into what was going on at Wufei's request, the Chinese male just wanting to make sure she was safe. At first he'd felt the stirrings of a conflict, but it had died down almost as quickly as it started and he thought she was fine… until now. She wasn't in danger, but the emotions were intense… at first there was surprise, followed by disbelief, hurt, relief, happiness and sadness. They were all over the place and he couldn't figure out why. Shaking his head momentarily he looked up in the concerned eye of Trowa.

"There's something going on upstairs… I think we should go check on Sally." He said.

"Is she hurt?!" Wufei asked, sharply.

"I don't think so… not physically at least…" he answered. "But something's definitely wrong."

With that the four of them made their way through the crowd of dancing people and across the room to the door that led upstairs. Trowa was half supporting Quatre, who was still clutching at his chest. It wasn't long before they were standing in the doorway of a bedroom, looking at Sally who was crouched down by the bed, looking down at the boy she'd helped up not long before. Wufei could tell by how tense her shoulders were that the woman was trying her best to hold back tears. He walked forward with the intention of wrapping a comforting arm around her, but as he got nearer he froze.

"Wufei…?" Quatre asked.

"It… it can't be…" the Chinese man mumbled.

"What…" Quatre started as he too walked forward, only to be frozen in silence as well. "Oh Allah…" Trowa, who followed him, didn't say anything… but it looked like he was shaking slightly.

All three of them turned and looked at Heero, who just stood there watching them. "Heero…" Quatre choked out. "It's… I think you should come here." Catching the blondes eyes, he nodded and finally stepped forward as well… not sure of what he was about to find lying in that bed.

Gulping, he looked down half expecting to see Treize Khushrenada back from the dead and about the strangle him… but instead he almost wanted to collapse on the spot. Lying there in that bed, peacefully, was that face he'd dreamed about since they were 15. The young man that he'd thought he'd lost forever… the one face he'd have given anything to see again, and yet thought he'd never get the chance. He felt like his heart was going to rip open in a flurry of conflicting emotions… because, lying there in that bed was one, very much alive, Duo Maxwell.

* * *

AN: Read and Review, and to the reviewers who want to know who is behind the CLA... well they're just gonna have to wait for a little bit longer! Dun.. dun.. dun.. :)


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

"So he's been here this whole time… you've been walking around with us, helping us… and you didn't even think to tell us that he was _alive_!" Quatre hissed, stunning Sally and the other three pilots. It wasn't often that they heard Quatre take that tone with someone, and right now it was directed at Broznan.

The older male shook his head as he set a glass of water in front of each of them on the coffee table in the living room. "Why do you think I invited you guys here tonight?" He asked, fixing Quatre with a steely gaze. "I agreed to show you around the colony, and help you in your mission in any way that I could, but I never had an obligation to tell you that Duo was here. And, quite frankly, you're lucky that I invited you to the party tonight. He was perfectly intent on just hiding out around here until you left… he's known you were on L2 the entire time."

They were momentarily stunned. "He knew?" Quatre asked.

Sally slapped her forehead. "Of course he knew, I identified myself that day in the street after the fight he'd gotten in… he just turned and ran." It had totally slipped her mind, with everything that was going on, that he was the boy they'd seen get into a fight on the street that day… the one that had led them to the shop and Broznan in the first place. She stayed silent, letting the others catch up to what she'd said.

"But why? Why did he want us to think he was dead if he wasn't?" Quatre choked, clutching his chest. Trowa held the other teen closer when he noticed the tears threatening to slip past his eyelids.

"This is all a conversation that I think you should be having with Duo, and not me. Only he'll be able to tell you why he did the things he did… but I don't think you should judge him too harshly. He's not to blame in all this." Broznan said, calmly. "When he came here, a little over a year ago, he wasn't the same kid that I remembered. I know that war can change a person, but you have to understand that the kinds of things that we went through here… the kinds of things that Duo went through growing up, they'd be enough to defeat most people. But Duo… he just took the good days with the bad, and there were a lot of bad days. We grew up around death, so a war shouldn't have altered him much… at least not as much as what I saw that day."

"He was always so cheerful during the war… he never let on about the kinds of things he grew up around. We had no idea." Wufei sighed. "That's why when Relena told us he was dead, and gave us the note that he'd given her, we were stunned… we had no idea what would have driven him to kill himself."

"Wait… it was Miss Peacecraft that told you he was dead?" Broznan asked, looking up at Wufei.

"Yes… we never thought that Duo would have given a suicide note to Relena, of all people, but we just assumed it was because he didn't want to be stopped."

"That sneaky, little bitch." Broznan mumbled. "Duo was right about that, after all."

"What do you mean by that?" Heero asked.

"Well, when I told him that you guys thought he was dead… at first he just thought that I meant you guys thought he'd come back here and just died like a lot of the other street kids. I told him I didn't think that was the case and he drew the conclusions that it must have been Relena that told ya that he was dead." Answered Broznan, who just took a sip of his water. "He was convinced you guys didn't care what happened to him…"

"But why in the world would he think something like that?!" Quatre exclaimed.

"Because, Q-Bean, I didn't think that I deserved you guys." They all turned around to look in the direction that the voice had come from. Standing in the entryway to the living room, pressing a cloth to his head, was Duo. They all watched as he moved across the room and sat on the arm of Broznan's chair, shooting a glare in Aislinn's direction. "I'm not done with you either, yet."

"Duo!" Quatre yelled, jumping up out of his seat and almost tackling the brunette off of his perch. "But what would make you think something like that." The blonde was clutching at Duo's shirt now, tears finally breaking through their barrier.

Bringing his hand up and softly resting it on the back of his friends' head, Duo sighed. "I was a street rat… I grew up being looked at like trash. Hell some kids even told me I smelled like a sewer a few times… they wound up regretting it later, but that's besides the point. I wasn't used to having… friends." He looked around at all his friends, to find them all looking back at him… all except for one, whose gaze was fixed into the opposite corner of the room. He sighed again, Heero always was an unreadable character. "I'm sorry."

"Yes Maxwell, but if Broznan here told you that we thought you were dead… why did you feel the need to keep yourself hidden from us further? Why not just come and find us? Did we really mean so little to you after everything that we've been through together?" Wufei shot at him. There was the anger he'd expected from them, he could always count on Wufei, it would have been an injustice.

"Sorry 'Fei, but at that point you guys thought I was dead for what, a year now? I was stupid… I was afraid you guys would just hate me. It was just easier to pretend and let things keep going on the way that they have been the past year. Besides, all I ever did was annoy you anyway." He answered, calmly.

"Maxwell you were a right pain in the ass! I wanted to run you through with my katana on a daily basis! You never shut up, you snored too loud, you always made tasteless jokes, and you threatened to paint my Gundam PINK! But… you were my friend, you made the war bearable, you made me strive to keep on living… you gave me a reason to keep fighting, other than justice. I wanted a world where the people could smile, talk, snore, and make countless tasteless jokes… a world without fear. You showed me that there was more to this world that just justice and honor." Wufei said, looking at him warmly. "And, my name is not 'Fei, Wu-Wu, Fei-cakes, Fei-kins or anything else you feel the need to call me… it's Wufei." He smirked in the Duo's direction, causing the other teen to chuckle lightly.

"Ok, ok Wuffles," he grinned, causing the Asian boy to just shake his head. "I honestly had no idea that you guys felt that way. I didn't think that anyone would miss me if I just disappeared. But I never gave Relena a suicide note… I didn't fake my own death. I never wanted to leave you guys, you guys were my best friends." He snuck another look at Heero, just to see the other teen still looking in the other direction.

Quarter felt a pang of hurt coming from his newly recovered friend. "Then why did you leave?" He asked.

"Like I said you guys were my best friends, but I thought at the time that you guys just tolerated me. Then Relena came to me with a missions… I didn't want to take it at first when she said that I wouldn't be able to have contact with anyone other than the people here on L2, and my Preventers' handler... I didn't want to leave you guys. But then she told me that the whole thing was your idea. And well, I guess all my insecurities got the best of me, so I took it," answered Duo. "When I got here everything went as well as I'd expected it to, I made my reports back to my handler, picked up my first paycheck and continued with my mission… but then when I went to get my second check, at the end of the month, I got terminated and that was that. No thanks for your work, no come see us again sometime… just here's your check and don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out."

"You were here on assignment with the Preventers?" Sally questioned.

"Well that's what my mission specs said… they seemed pretty convincing. I guess you're gonna tell me that was all a lie too?" Duo asked.

"Well… Commander Une has to approve all missions… regular and the Special Ops. She didn't know you were here any more than the rest of us did… we all thought you died that day." Sally said.

"Stupid… I'm so damn stupid…" Duo growled as he gripped the back of the chair. "I should have known…. The stupid Preventers' Branch here takes pay offs from plenty of politicians… why not Relena too? I was never here on a mission after all… she played me! But why did she pick me to fuck with?"

"Well, you two never did get along. You were always loud and in her face… hanging around me, which probably just made her jealous… why do you think?" Heero finally said, after his long period of silence.

"Oh yeah, well I just did that to annoy the hell outta her. She'd have hated me anyway, I wasn't even good enough to be the filth that she scraped off her pretty, pink shoes. I'm surprised she doesn't have you wearing her colors by now… hell I'm surprised that she even let her precious savior come to this hell hole." He bit back.

Heero got up and stalked over to where he was sitting. Quatre, sensing the rising emotions he quickly got up and sat back down on the couch next to Trowa. "And what the hell makes you assume that girl tells me what to do, huh? Why would I ever do anything she wanted me to do?!" Heero yelled back at him.

"Now boys…" Sally tried to say, but was interrupted.

Duo stood up and pushed himself into Heero's space. "You were always saving her ass during the war. I'd say 'Why not just let her die, Yuy?' And you'd always just grunt and keep on saving her. It didn't take a blind man to see you were in love with that flake!"

"Hn. You really are blind and stupid…" Heero grunted.

"Now Heero…" Quatre tried to interject this time, but gave up.

"Oh? Stupid am I? And why, might I ask, is that? Huh? Why don't you enlighten…" But he was cut off by the sharp punch that was delivered to his left cheek by the angry boy in question.

"HEERO!"

"Why you…" but he was interrupted by Heero once again, but not with a punch. To say he was stunned was an understatement… never in a million years would he have predicted that The Perfect Soldier would be kissing him. It wasn't like the kiss was unwelcome… he couldn't remember how many times during the war he'd wished that Heero would pull him into his arms and kiss him. He just never expected it to actually happen.

After what seemed like no time at all to Duo, Heero pulled away and looked him in the eyes. He noticed that his Cobalt orbs were swimming with tears, just threatening to spill over. He just stared back, gaping like a fish.

"Wow… Yuy stunning Maxwell into silence. This is something that I never thought I'd get the chance to see." Wufei whispered.

"Shhh… you'll ruin the moment!" Quatre shot back.

"Duo Maxwell…" Heero said, voice smooth and unwavering. "I have never, nor could I ever love Relena Peacecraft. You stormed into my life like a hurricane… leaving disorder, emotion, chaos and trouble in your wake. You wouldn't leave, no matter where I went or how much I tried to get away… you were there. I just wanted to complete my mission… I just wanted to be the Perfect Soldier, an emotionless killing machine… but you wouldn't let me! You stormed in and you just had to make me feel… had to make me love you!" Duo could hardly believe the words coming from the other teens mouth, they were too good to be true. "Then you left me! You left me feeling not only love, but pain… hurt and loss. I wanted to hate you for going away and leaving me there alone. I wanted to despise you for it… but I couldn't. I loved you too much. Not a day has gone by this past year that I haven't thought about you, and wished that I had you there with me. I never thought that I'd get to see you again, until I died as well… and oh how many times I thought that it would just be easier to end it all and be with you again. But you were here… you were alive… this whole time."

Duo didn't know what to say, here was a boy… no a man… that until today he'd thought his entire vocabulary consisted of 'Hn' or 'Mission Accomplished' spilling his heart out to him. Laying it all out on the line, hoping that he wouldn't break it into a million pieces. He'd always thought that if he'd had the courage to admit his feelings to Heero he'd be the one in this position… and eventually get shattered when the other told him that he was really in love with that pink monster. He never even dared to hope that something like this would happen. "Heero…"

"I don't care if you hate me… I don't care if you find me disgusting… just promise me one thing. Don't you dare to ever leave me again." And that was it, the tears that had been threatening to fall all night hit, like a damn flood had broken loose.

Duo just pulled the other teen into a tight hug and let them both slump to the floor, rubbing his hands in soothing circles on his back as he let it all out. Everyone was just stunned watching the display, it was a strange sight seeing the normally stoic boy, crying like a baby. But Duo just keep up his comforting action, mumbling 'Shhh… it's gonna be ok' into his ear.

After a while the sobs died down and they could hear a few sniffles coming from Duo's shirt. Taking that as his best opportunity, the long haired teen lifted Heero's chin up so that he could look him in the eye. "I would _never, _I repeat _never_ find you disgusting… I would _never _hate you. And you wanna know why?" He asked. Heero just straightened up and looked slightly uneasy, yet a little bit relieved. "Because I love you too, Heero Yuy." And before the other could utter another word he closed to distance between them and brushed his lips against the others, tasting the saltiness that remained from the tears.

When they broke apart, Quatre was giggling. "Well it's about time…"

* * *

AN: Well there ya go, happy reuinion! Now what shall we do with poor little, sneaky Peacecraft...


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9**_

"Awww… well aren't you two cute." Broznan chuckled, as they all watched Duo cuddle up next to Heero on his chair.

"Shut it, Broz." Duo purred, earning another round of quiet laughter.

"Well, as happy as I am to have you back Maxwell… we have another matter to discuss with you Mr. Mills." Sally said.

"Ok." Broznan responded. "But _please _just call me Broznan… we're all friends here now, aren't we?" Sally smiled, but Aislinn huffed. He just chose to ignore the other woman as she shot a glare in his direction. "So what's up?"

"Last time we talked, I told you we were going to take the information you gave us to our Commander, correct?"

"Yes… you did."

"I wanted to let you know that they're going to be looking into the claims. But after digging up a little information on our own, I feel pretty confident to say that something will have to be done about Miss Peacecraft…"

"Well, that's reassuring, but I have to ask… what are you guys going to be doing about the CLA? Did you get a chance to discuss that at all?" He asked, casting a nervous glance in Aislinn's direction.

"Actually, we did," Sally answered, with a smile. "That's the other matter I wanted to discuss with you… do you happen to know anyone that we can get in contact with that could lead us to whose in charge or the group? Commander Une would like to sit and negotiate with them. We've been cleared to offer a pardon for any threats they may have made, as long as they are willing to work with us to bring about a swift resolution to the problem."

"Well, that's good… but as far as getting you in contact with the leader goes…" Broznan started to say, but was interrupted by Aislinn.

"You don't need to protect me anymore, Broz."

"Lin!" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, hun." She said to him before turning her attention to Sally. "He's not the one you should be asking those questions to, I am."

"Oh? Well ok then, Miss…?"

"Landers, Miss Po, my name is Aislinn Landers. But like I was saying, the leader of the CLA, that you'd like to get in contact with, is my husband… Jonathan Landers." She said, calmly.

"Well that certainly makes things easier, I guess." Sally sighed. "Do you think it would be possible for your husband to come back with us to the Preventers' HQ on Earth to work through this?"

"Honestly Miss Po, I'm not sure if he'd be willing to do it himself or not. He doesn't exactly like space travel," she chuckled. "But I'm sure that we could work something out." She added, noticing the look of distress on Sally's face. Aislinn hated to admit it, but she was quickly warming up to the other woman. She didn't like the idea of these agents coming in and taking her brother from her after she just got him back, but she couldn't deny how happy he looked snuggled up to the once stoic-looking agent. When she first caught a look at him, he appeared to not care about anything around him… but when he was around Duo it was almost like he was a completely different person. She was also at ease since she had some guarantee that the rest of her family wasn't in any immediate danger because of their idle threats… ever since Broz had confirmed to her that the Preventers' were there investigating them, she'd been a little bit tense. "Would it be alright with your Commander if I were to come along for these discussions in his place? I am the second-in-commander, after all."

"I'll talk to her, but I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem. She just wanted to make sure that while we were taking action, with what has been happening on the colony, we had a representative from here that she could trust had the colony's best interests in heart." Sally said. She knew Une wouldn't mind the arrangement at all, she probably wouldn't even give it much of a thought after she got the news of Duo being alive. The investigations into Relena's misdeeds would have to be checked and then double checked, which she knew would take quite a while, but as far as she was concerned the girl was guilty of a lot more than just the things she could be charged for. She was sure the other pilots felt the same way too.

She took a moment while Aislinn excused herself to make a phone call to look around at the five boys. Wufei was sitting next to her with a hand placed firmly on her shoulder, Quatre and Trowa were cuddled together on the couch looking over at Duo and Heero affectionately, while the two in question looked to be lost in their own little world. If they'd been following the conversation at all, they weren't letting on to it. She smiled happily at the sight, it had been so long since any of them had seen Heero this happy… in fact she wondered if he'd ever looked this happy before. She was grateful for the CLA making these threats and for Relena freaking out enough that Une had decided to send them up to the little colony... If she hadn't, then none of this would have happened… Duo would be 'dead' and they would be none the wiser to what was really going on.

"Well, Jon's a bit worried… but he says he'll stay and be the 'house husband' while I'm away on Earth. He says to use the video phone if we need to bring him into the meetings for whatever reason, but I should be able to handle any questions or decisions on our part." Aislinn said when she walked back into the room. "I'm sorry for any trouble this might have caused any of you."

"It's not a problem Miss Landers, at least not anymore. Personally I'd like to thank you for everything that's happened." Quatre smiled. "If it wasn't for your group's threats to Relena we never would have been sent here to investigate… and we never would have found Duo."

"Well, I'm glad then, I guess." She responded. She thought things could have been worse… they could have arrested her, and then she'd never get the chance to know her baby brother. Looking over at Duo, she noticed he'd fallen asleep. She chuckled as he mumbled something about pink bunnies, curling himself further into the dark-haired agent's side. He looked so peaceful, she hadn't seen that kind of peace on his face since she saw him all those years ago at the Maxwell Church.

* * *

To say Relena Peacecraft wasn't a happy person when she left Commander Une's office at the Preventers' HQ, was an understatement. Of all of the places for the woman to send her Heero on a mission… it had to be that festering Cesspool of a colony. She wasn't worried about them finding Maxwell… the street rat was either dead, or he'd want nothing to do with them after everything that happened. What she was worried about, was letting the woman catch a glimpse of what her plans were for the place… what she had been working on the last year to accomplish. The conversation with her, hadn't gone exactly as planned, to say the least.

(Flashback)

_Relena waltzed through Preventers' HQ like she owned the place, but in her mind she practically did. It had been almost a month since her fiancée had left for his mission, and he had not so much as called to let her know that he was safe. She knew he was fine, it was Heero after all, but it wasn't nice to keep a lady in the dark. _

_Ignoring the secretary's protests of "Miss Peacecraft you can't just go in there," the girl opened the door to Commander Une's office and walked right on in. Striding over to the chair in front of the woman's desk, she sat down with a huff. _

"_Commander Une, I wish to know the details of Mr. Yuy's most recent mission." She said, with authority. The older woman just smirked at her, like she was an amusing child. _

"_My, it's nice to see you well Miss Peacecraft, but I'm sure that I don't have to remind you that all mission details are classified." Une responded, formally. _

"_Very well, will you please at least tell me where it was he was sent to? It would give me some peace of mind." _

"_I certainly don't see the harm in letting you know that I have sent him; along with Agents Po, Winner, Barton and Chang to the L2 Colony to investigate the claims on your life, that you have so graciously alerted us to. I'm afraid any details on their findings are, like I said, considered classified… even from you." Commander Une kept a calm and cool demeanor, watching the girl closely. Relena started to feel a bit agitated under her scrutiny… which led her to say something, that in hindsight, might not have been too smart. _

"_It won't be long before someone destroys that horrid place, and takes out the trash." She huffed. "Thank you for informing me of his whereabouts. I hope the mission goes smoothly and I'll take my leave now, good day." _

_(End Flashback)  
_

Yes, saying something like that definitely wasn't going to do her any favors… talking of destroying a colony didn't do much to support her ideals of 'total pacifism.' She just couldn't help herself, of all the places to send her husband-to-be… why did it have to be the home of that street trash? She'd been working so hard to try and get him to forget the other boy, and surely sending him there was going to spark up memories once again. She also couldn't go through with her plans later in the month, not with Heero still on the colony and the rashness of her word choices with Une… picking up a small black phone, she dialed a number and held it up to her ear.

"This is Sunders," a male voice answered.

"Mr. Sunders, this is Miss Peacecraft."

"Miss Peacecraft, what can I do for you?" he responded.

"I wish to abort Operation L2MDD… some complications have arisen, understood?"

"Understood," and the call was disconnected.

She couldn't use the mobile dolls she'd been developing, in secret, to destroy the colony… not after giving Une a small reason to suspect her if something should happen. She would have to wait until the investigation was over, and just maybe they'd manage to catch the bastards that had started this. However, it wouldn't save the colony as a whole… she'd find a way to go through with her plans… someday. She would just have to be patient…

* * *

AN: There we go new chapter, now on to the 'revenge'... Relena had been quiet for way too long, let's see what she has planned for our boys.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10**_

"Oh wow, it's so… vast!" The brunette woman whispered in awe as she looked out the window of the shuttle. "Wow…"

"Oh sure, it's _huge_… not like there's anything special about it, is there?" Duo grumbled. Sure, he was happy to be with his friends again. He was happy to get off of the depressing colony, despite everything Broz had done to make sure he had somewhere to go. He was _ecstatic _to finally be with Heero, something that he'd never even dared to dream would actually happen. But, he couldn't bring himself to be happy with his 'sister.'

"I've never been off L2 before," she pouted. "Why so sour, grumpy-pants?"

Duo huffed out a breath of air, blowing his bangs off of his forehead. "Why would ya think anything's wrong?"

Heero looked over at Quatre and saw the blonde shaking his head with a little chuckle, he also couldn't help the little smirk that graced his features. Both of them knew Duo never told a 'lie,' but neither could deny that he had a way of evading the truth… if he really wanted to. He was a master of it during the war, and it appeared that he hadn't lost his touch.

"I know I haven't been there for you much, growing up. But I know enough about you to know when you're upset." She said, softly.

"Much? I didn't even I know I had a sister… how can you say you haven't been there for me 'much?'" Duo responded. "What did you expect? Did you think you'd tell me 'hey I'm your sister that you haven't ever seen' and expect me to be all tears an' hugs?"

Aislinn looked down, sadly… clearly she hadn't expected to him to be as angry as he seemed. Heero couldn't blame him for how he felt however, he'd be the same way if he found out that he had a family that had known where he was and just never decided to say anything to him. He couldn't even imagine how it must feel for someone like Duo… someone who grew up on the streets thinking that all his family and friends were dead, for years. He must have felt, at least a little bit, betrayed.

"Of course I didn't expect all tears and hugs… that'd be like expecting unicorns and rainbows in a situation like this. But I at least thought we could talk about it."

Duo turned away from her, looking out the window, into the void of space. "Right now, I don't know what there is to talk about. I was right there… I'd even seen you around, talking to Broz, a few times. All you had to do was come up to me and say _something_. Why did you wait so long? If the guys hadn't found me, would you have _ever _told me?" Everyone could hear the restrained emotion in his voice, like he was trying to hold it back.

"Oh Duo… of course I would have told you, I was just afraid of something like this happening. I was a coward." She looked down at her hands, threading her fingers together uneasily.

"A coward… that's why you told me in the end though, wasn't it? You were a _coward_, you were afraid of losing me a second time?" He questioned.

"Yes, when you put it that way… I guess I _was _just being a coward. I've lost you so many times… I just couldn't bear it again," she whispered. However, it was easy to hear what she was saying. Everyone on the shuttle was deathly quiet, afraid to make the slightest sound… all interested in what was unfolding before them.

"I just don't know what to think about all of this… I really don't. I thought I was alone, I thought my whole family was _dead_. Now I find out that I have a sister… and not just that but a brother-in-law, a niece and a nephew as well? That's _four people_… _four people _that never even knew _existed_, that I could have gotten a chance to know." He wasn't even trying to hold back the emotion in his voice any longer… letting it all pour out, for everyone to hear. "Where were _you _when I was growing up on the streets? Where were _you _when Solo and the other kids died from the plague? Where were _you _when I was starving and had to steal just so I could live through the night? Where were _you _when the Church burned down, taking the closest thing I had to a family with me_? Where were you_?!"

There was a long pause… if a pin was dropped on the carpeting, you could have heard it clear as a bell. Then finally, "I wasn't _able _to be there, and keep you off of the streets. I wasn't _able _to be there, to protect you from all that death. I wasn't _able _to be there, to make sure you never had to starve or steal just to live. I _was _there when I you found that priest and nun. I _was _there when you looked at me and said I was a _'funny lady_.' I _was _there, searching _franticly _through the ruins of the church, for _any _sign that you weren't there when it happened. I was _relieved _when the reports came that there was a boy that survived. I was _scared _when no one had been able to locate you afterwards. I was _praying _that you were safe all these years… and praying is not something that I do. And I was _relieved _when Broznan came to me and told me that he'd found you… that after all these years you were _safe_! I had _faith _that something out that had heard those prayers and I was _happy _that you were returned to me… even if you had _no idea _who I was."

Duo remained silent, trying to process everything he'd just heard. He closed his eyes, he remembered the day that the 'funny lady' had shown up at the church. He remembered thinking that she was strange, looking at him with tears in her eyes… no one had ever looked at him with tears in their eyes before. He remembered when she bent down and put a hand on his cheek, with a sad smile on her face. He'd found it strange that she had the same shade of violet eyes that he seemed to have, not many people had that shade of eyes. She'd looked heartbroken when he'd asked her if she was looking for someone. He'd called her a 'funny lady' and run off, to Sister Helen, giggling. "You were there, looking for me that day weren't you? You wanted to cry when I didn't recognize you, didn't you?"

"You remember that?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah… I remember thinking it was strange that we had to same color eyes… not many people do." He turned away from his spot at the window, looking in her direction as well. "You said you _'weren't able' _to be there all those times… where were you? What happened to our _family_?"

She sighed, looking down at her fingers again. "I don't know exactly what happened myself, honestly. I mean I know what happened, just not why," she explained. Leaning back in her seat, she exchanged her gaze with her fingers for one with the ceiling, closing her eyes as she spoke. "It was late on a Sunday night… you were four at the time, I was 13. It was a normal night, mom and dad were talking while I was playing with you in the living room. It was quite boring, actually. Mom asked me if I could take you up to bed, you protested as usual… you wanted mommy to take you to bed, and she promised she'd be up there in a little bit. I always used to joke around, calling you a _mommy's boy_."

Duo leaned against Heero, feeling the other boy's arm snake around his shoulders… pulling him closer as he listened, trying his best to picture what she was saying. The others just watched her, entranced.

"It all happened so fast, I heard shouts coming from downstairs. The sounds of glass breaking, bodies being shoved to the ground. You were so scared, you weren't making a sound… I took advantage of that and put you in your closet. I'm glad I did… I was halfway down the stairs when I saw them shoot dad in the head, mom was crying. I screamed at them to stop when they pulled her up to her knees, by her hair, and shot her 'execution' style as well. I don't know why they didn't shoot me too, but they grabbed me and dragged me away with them… maybe they thought if they had a hostage then The Alliance would give in to their demands. They held me for questioning, taking me with them everywhere they went. When The Alliance didn't give them anything, they decided to use me as some kind of servant…. Serving up their meals and bringing them whatever they needed. They told me that they found you, they had you somewhere else, to try and force my cooperation… and it worked.

"Three years later, I think one of the younger rebels took pity on me. They told me it was all a lie, that they'd never been able to find another child in the house. I guess you ran and hid way too well, you were always able to find the best hiding places. A few days after that, the Alliance raided the warehouse they were hiding out in, and I took the opportunity and ran for it. I looked for you, I searched for months… then I ran across Broznan. He told me that I looked just like a boy he grew up with on the streets, went by the name Duo… after questioning him a bit, he told me I could find you at 'the old Maxwell Church.' When you didn't recognize me, I was sad… then again, part of me was expecting it, I think. You ran off to that nun, _smiling_, and she held you close… just like mom used to. You looked happy, so I resigned myself to just watching you from a distance… I didn't want to bring back any bad memories in case you did remember anything. Then the church burned down, I searched, heard about the boy who survived and held onto hope that you would be ok… I prayed that I'd get to see you again. Now, here we are." She looked up at Duo, her tear filled eyes meeting his. The story had brought Quatre and Sally to tears as well, the other three were just too well trained to let theirs slip… even though they threatened to anyway.

"But…but _why _would the rebels want to kill our parents…" Duo asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Like I said, I have no idea _why _they did what they did… I can only guess it had something to do with what they were working on. Mom and Dad were scientists, working for The Alliance. I think they came to the house that night to get the plans and formulas for whatever it was they were working on at the time. When they couldn't get what they wanted… they killed them." She said. "The rebels ripped apart so many families. The Alliance weren't much better, but the rebels were more brutal about it… more _barbaric." _

Over the next couple of hours on the shuttle, Heero listened quietly while Duo and his sister talked about years worth of things they'd missed out on. He was saddened by everything that she'd said, but he couldn't deny that he was happy with the way things had turned out. If none of it had happened, Duo might have grown up to be a member of the Alliance, or even OZ… he never would have met him. Or even worse, they might have wound up being on opposite sides of the war, he might have been one of the soldiers that Heero had killed… granted he never would have known or cared. But part of him was being selfish, he didn't want to not have the braided boy in his life. It took losing him, for him to realize that those confusing 'feelings' that he'd had since he met the other… were those of 'love.' He never thought that he'd understand what this 'love' thing was that Relena, Duo and Quatre were always going on about… but when Relena had told him Duo was dead, and his heart shattered into a million pieces, he finally figured it out. Now that he had Duo back… he was never going to let him go again.

* * *

AN: I wanted to do a little chapter devoted just to Duo and his sister. I feel like a lot of stories out there that feature Duo having a 'long lost sibling' don't really offer any kind of plausible or 'believable' explanation, that fits in with the story line, as to where they would have been when he was growing up. They always just kind of throw them right in there and hope that the readers just roll with it.  
Anyway, let me know what you think.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11**_

"I'm sorry to have to burden you with this information, but I need you to promise me that you won't tell your husband what we're conducting." Commander Une said.

"Yes Commander, I understand… I don't _want _to lie to him… but I understand why I _must_." Noin sighed. "I just still can't believe Miss Relena would do something like this. During the war she was the biggest crusader for Peace, taking on a stance of total pacifism. She's _hardly _stupid, so why on earth would she do something, that she knows, would most likely result in in some kind of _conflict? _The people of that poor colony haven't done anything to warrant this, they deserve our help just as much as the others."

"I agree Lucrezia, it's all very strange… that I can't deny. I'm sure we'll get this all straightened out before anything gets out of hand. The team I sent to L2 should be arriving back at base this afternoon, and they said that they've found something interesting while on their assignment. We also have the second in command, a Miss Aislinn Landers, from the CLA coming in to work through this misunderstanding as well," said Une. "I'm glad you understand why I'm asking this of you… it would be very bad if Merquise were to alert his younger sister that we were taking action against her, we don't know what she's capable of at this point."

There was a subtle knock on Une's large, oak door. "Sorry to bother you Commander," came a deep, masculine voice as the man they were discussing walked through the doorway. "I could hear your conversation through the door, and I'm afraid there will be no need to keep anything a secret from me."

"Agent Wind," Une nodded to the man. "And why exactly were you eavesdropping on a private conversation I was having with another of my agents?"

"With my wife, and that wasn't what I was planning to do at all, dear Lady. I did a little digging and noticed there was a subtle inquiry into Relena's affairs," he smirked. "I just thought I could be of some use… and before you say anything, I have no intention of relaying anything back to her. She hasn't noticed anything out of sorts herself either, she's too engrossed in her own affairs right now."

"Zechs… she's your sister…" Noin started to say.

"It's alright Lu, she's my sister and I'd do anything to protect her, but I can't stand by and watch her ruin everything that we've worked so hard for. Deep down I respected her when she took her place as a pacifist, she reminded me of our mother, but with what she's done now… I don't know who she is anymore." He sat down in front of Une's large, Mahogany desk and sighed.

"What she's done now? It sounds to me like you might have some information that could be of use to us?" Une questioned, leaning forward and placing her chin on her folded fingers.

"It would seem that way, wouldn't it," he said with a smile. Noin walked over and sat herself in the seat beside her husband. "Commander, I have been looking into my sister's affairs for a while… ever since she brought the boys Maxwell's suicide note. Things always seemed a little too fishy for my liking. I knew that she and the boy never cared for each other, and as soon as the other pilots heard he was dead they seemed to give up trying to shut her out anymore. It always just seemed like it might have been too good of an opportunity to believe."

"So because of this, you started keeping tabs on her?" Noin asked.

"Yes, I thought that she might have had something to do with his death. It's no secret that the Yuy boy was in love with the other pilot, if you looked close enough anyone could see it… I'm not sure that even he knew it at the time. She claims that she's in love with him, but I know love… what she has is a very dangerous obsession, and I wasn't sure what she was capable of doing to make sure she got what she wanted."

"It's a very interesting theory," Une said. "But we need proof on this, or it remains just that… a theory."

"I aware of that, Commander." He said, politely. "I wasn't done, my tracking of her has led me to do some other things as well."

"What other things, Zechs?" Noin asked, as she placed her hand over his on the arm of the chair.

"I tapped her phone not that long ago, and I picked up on an interesting conversation she had with a man named Sunders. She told him to abort an 'Operation L2MDD' and I knew it wasn't a Preventers' case, we don't use codes like that."

"Were you able to get any information?"

"Yes, it would seem that my little, pacifist sister has been funding the production of Mobile Dolls in an underground base somewhere here on Earth, though I'm not exactly sure where it's located. It seems like she had an operation set up to mobilize these Mobile Dolls to attack the L2 colony and place the blame on another terrorist organization. I'm not exactly sure why she would want to do this, and that we need to do more investigating into." He handed her a large file folder. "This is all the information I was able to gather from my investigation. I wanted to personally make sure it found its way to you."

"We need to take care of this swiftly and quietly, this information cannot leak to the public… it could cause another war. Thankfully Agents Po, Yuy, Chang, Barton and Winner will be arriving back this afternoon from their investigations on the L2 colony. We are going to need them to run point with you two on the operation, you are the only ones we can trust this to." Une said, looking through the papers in the file. Zechs was thorough in his research, he had everything from the schematics to the alloy shipment orders, and any aliases that were used in their purchases. She wondered how the girl could pull off such a large operation without anyone becoming suspicious of it, but the girl was smart… she knew that no one would believe she was capable of pulling something like this off.

* * *

"It's so bright here, and the air is so clean." The five ex-Gundam pilots, along with Sally Po, just watched as Aislinn twirled around with her face to the sky. Quatre couldn't blame her for feeling the way she was, being on Earth for the first time… he too felt the beauty of the planet the first time he set foot on its surface. "I don't know why anyone would want to live in that cold, unforgiving place by choice… not if they could live here."

"It is beautiful here, but space has it's own charms." Trowa said as he looked up at the sky.

"I guess, but I would prefer it here… maybe I can convince my husband to come here with the kids when all this is sorted out." She said with a sad smile. "When do we have to report to your office, again?"

"We're going to be heading there now, we need to hand over our reports to the Commander and introduce you… we also have to show her the surprise." Quatre said, looking over at Duo. Heero pulled Duo closer to him and placed a light kiss on the top of his head, causing the blonde to chuckle lightly.

"You mean you didn't tell her I was with you?" The braided boy asked, swatting at Heero's arm.

"We thought it might break her calm, collected façade that she puts on, for once. That woman needs a good shock." Wufei responded with a smirk.

"You guys have gotten more devious since we've been apart… who are you and what did you do with my friends?" Duo laughed, leaning back in to Heero's embrace… after all, he liked it there. "Are you sure I'm dressed right to go walking in there? I mean you all are in your uniforms, even Aislinn's wearing dress pants and a fancy shirt… I'm in a pair of old jeans and a plain old T-shirt."

"Maxwell, you're fine… we're not going to be there very long." Wufei said. "Now, let's get going or she'll have our hide." With that, they got into the Preventers' cars that were waiting. What they didn't notice was the limousine across the space port parking lot, nor the furious blonde woman inside it.

* * *

AN: I know it's a shorter chapter this time, but I'm a bit tired tonight. Starting with the next chapter they'll start finally going after Relena. And in answers to reviews, I'm not sure exactly what I would like to do about what Duo's parents were working on, I might add that in there if I can, but it might also remain just a thing I used for an explanation into why Duo's parents were killed.

Please keep reviewing, I really love reading them. =)


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter 12**_

To say that Commander Une had 'freaked out' would have been an understatement when she laid on eyes on, a very much alive, Duo Maxwell. None of those in the room had ever thought it possible to see tears come from the eyes of their superior… she was always so cool and collected, sometimes even bordering on cruel . "You stupid little punk!" She'd exclaimed, causing alarm to shoot through Heero when the woman swiftly got up and stalked over towards them. He'd thought she was going to punch the braided former pilot, but he was taken off guard when she enveloped the boy in a bone-crushing hug.

"Can't…breathe…" Duo gasped out, causing Noin and Sally to chuckle.

"You're lucky I'm letting you live after what you did," Une said. "Why would you lead us all the believe that you'd killed yourself? We were all so devastated!"

"He had no idea that we thought he was dead, Commander," said Heero.

Une blinked in shock, pushing the smaller brunette away from her so she could look into his face. "What do you mean, had no idea that we thought he was dead? What about his note?" She asked, as she turned her gaze onto Heero. "Explain this to me, Yuy."

"It was Relena," Wufei chose to speak instead, taking his comrade off the hook. He watched as Heero pulled Duo back to his side, refusing to let him go. "Apparently she was the one that wrote the note, leading us to believe that he was dead… while in reality she'd sent him to L2 on a fake Preventers' mission… leaving him there to rot. When we arrived, he knew we were there, and hid from us. He had every intention to keep us in the dark, but it was a friend of his, that we were using as a guide, who decided to intervene and bring us all back together again. We owe him."

"Yet another issue on the ever growing list of Vice Minister Peacecraft's devious affairs," Une sighed.

"Another issue? So, I guess it's safe to assume you were able to get some information from the investigation so far?" Quatre asked.

"Indeed… it's a good thing you five got Maxwell out there in time. We should also be grateful to the CLA for scaring Relena enough to cause the Preventers to send a team to L2 to investigate… it was also a good call on Une's part to make Heero a part of that team. It put a halt in her plans, she wouldn't knowingly risk Yuy's safety." Zechs said.

"What kind of plans?" Aislinn questioned.

Zechs looked to Une, silently seeking permission to speak; Aislinn may have been there as the representative of the CLA… but she was still considered a civilian. When the woman nodded, he continued. "I won't go into a long explanation as to why, but I suspected that my sister might have been up to something for some time now. As a result I tapped her phones, bugged her office and did my own digging into her affairs." The others all looked at him, giving him their undivided attention. "I found a multitude of things that she had her hands in that she shouldn't have, but the most distressing was a call that we listened in on between one of her agents and herself. She'd instructed a Mr. Sunders to abort a mission, that we later confirmed was a mobilization of mobile dolls to the colony. It appears as if she wanted to, for lack of a better term, blow the whole place sky high."

"What?! But why would she do something like that? She's always preached for pacifism…" Quatre gasped. Duo and Aislinn just stared at the tall blonde man, horrified. They had friends… and family that they'd left back on the colony. If they were on Earth now, what was there to stop the girl from going through with her plans?

"We weren't exactly sure, but I have a theory now." Zechs smirked. "Now seeing the trouble that she went to the make sure that she had separated you boys from Maxwell, I'm going to go out on a limb to say it was because of her hatred for you, Duo. Her hatred for you and the place that you grew up at. She's always been jealous of you…"

"Why the hell would she be jealous of me? She was the damn Queen of the World for crying out loud… I was a skinny little street rat from a poor ass colony." Duo growled. "What could I have possibly done to her to make her want to kill thousands of innocent people?"

"You have Heero," he said simply. He motioned to them, indicating their closeness. "I'm not saying that it's a good reason to want to kill innocents… at least not to a sane person. To someone like Relena it would make perfect sense, especially in the light of recent information. She went through an awful lot of trouble to get you back there, and break your spirit. She wanted to get you, and keep you, out of the picture. I then assume she was planning to demolish the colony in a bid to make your death a reality. She was going to try to make it look like another organization was taking the matters with the CLA into it's own hands… and it would have been tragic. The group that defended the Vice Minister from threats on her life would need to be dealt with, who knew if they would become a threat to her as well. Heero, you would have had no choice but to spring into action and protect her until the perpetrators could be apprehended… which she would have made sure never would have happened. You would have been stuck."

"That's a very detailed theory on her actions, Merquise." Wufei grunted.

"She's my sister… I know her thinking even if I don't agree with it."

"But, all of that destruction and terror… just so she could have Heero?" Quatre asked.

"You need to understand her mind, to understand her motives. She's a very disturbed young woman… all the power she was given during the wars slowly went to her head, poisoned her mind. She was only slightly irritating and spoiled before all of that, but she soon discovered the lengths people were willing to go to give her what she wanted. The only person that never gave in to her demands was Heero. That in turn only intrigued her more, made her more determined to have him… to her, she thinks it's love. But, as I explained to Une this morning, she's got a very dangerous obsession. It's a game to her, one she feels that she deserves to win. Everyone that gets in the way, like Duo and by extension L2, are just collateral damage… pawns. She's the most dangerous type of stalker… one with motive, means and power." Zechs explained.

"Then… we need to put an end to this. We need to stop her before she does something irreversible!" Duo exclaimed.

"Yes we do, and we have every intention to." Une responded from her seat behind her large desk. "I had these files ready and waiting for you before you arrived. We need to keep this under the radar, we need to keep this quiet. We don't want people to retaliate before we can get to her, or let her poison the public against the Preventers. We'd never be able to touch her then." The agents all opened up the folders and began thumbing through the information.

Zechs was already on the inside, so to speak. He was her brother, she was bound to trust him enough to bring him into the loop if he played his cards right…. So he would be responsible for getting in on the inside. Quatre had a multitude of contacts, being in charge of Winner Enterprises as well as a Preventer Agent, he would be able to call in favors and gather any further information into her dealings. Trowa and Wufei would be in charge of preparing and training the teams that would be needed in case of a ground assault, with Noin and Sally providing backup. Duo would be in charge of stealth operations, there was no doubt that the young man was still the only one that they knew that could sneak in and out of her palace undetected… not to mention that she wouldn't be expecting him; and Heero wouldn't want to be far from the brunette, no doubt, so he would be in charge of his and Aislinn's protection. It was a job that the once stoic pilot would take seriously, because if Zechs was right… then there was no telling what kind of danger the braided boy and his sister could be in. They weren't going to take any chances.

"Let's do this then," Duo said, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "It's about time we kicked that bitch in the teeth."

* * *

AN: Sorry, the hunt for a new job continues so I'm trying my best to update in a timely manner. I'll probably update another chapter either tonight or by tomorrow at the latest so please pay no mind to this chapter being a tad bit on the shorter side again! Let me know what you think.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter 13**_

Just as expected, it was relatively simple for Zechs to convince Relena that he wanted to aid her. She'd been stunned, at first, when he told her he knew what she was up to… but she didn't deny it. He knew she wouldn't, but part of him had hoped that she would… he didn't want to believe that his little sister, who used to be a sweet young girl, was capable of the things they'd uncovered. Their parents would have been ashamed. It had taken roughly a month's time for him to get far enough inside that he could learn the location of her 'secret base', located underground in the Sanc Kingdom. When she took him on a tour, he was horrified by the sheer number of weapons she had acquired… they'd known about the mobile dolls, but they hadn't known she was in the process of creating piloted mobile suits as well. Upon closer inspection, he noted that the weapons they were using were similar to those that the Gundams had used… only surprisingly a little more advanced. After shaking off his initial shock, he asked her where she got the design.

…...

"_Well, before I was to go through with my plans of destroying that worthless colony… I needed to make sure there wasn't anything there that could be of use." She'd said, emotionlessly. "I'm glad I did because I discovered some well hidden research. The weapons were developed by a pair of highly respected scientists and engineers named Lorraine and Robert Duvaine. Being as sophisticated as they are, it's taken the engineers here a few years just to decipher the schematics." _

_He'd never heard of Dr. Duvaine or his wife before. "Why do you think they were kept hidden?" _

"_From what I gathered, the rebels in the L2 colony cluster had tried to get the information from the scientists… but when they couldn't, they were murdered. The rebels assumed that they Alliance had the information they wanted, and tried to offer some form of exchange for it… but apparently the Duvaine's had kept it hidden even from their employers." _

"_But why? If they were employed by the Alliance, then why would they have wanted to keep something like this secret? It might have made a huge difference in the outcome of the war." Not that he'd want for the war to have turned out any differently. He couldn't deny that life was more pleasant now than it had been when everything had been under OZ's control. _

"_If these weapons had been in the hands of the Alliance and OZ there's no doubt in my mind that they would have won the war. We must be grateful to the Duvaine's for doing what they did. As it stood, the Gundams were very difficult to counter, much more durable than the average mobile suit…. But these, they could have cut through their materials like a hot knife through butter. It's no wonder the rebels didn't want something like that in the hands of their enemies," she smirked. The look on her face sent a shiver down his spine, he knew that if it came to it and they had to recreate the Gundams and fight her… she had the confidence that she'd be more than capable of taking care of herself. _

…...

He shivered again as he remembered that day. When he'd relayed the information to Commander Une, she said that they needed to speed up their timeline if they were going to put an end to her operation before the weapons were completed.

He'd also been curious, so he looked to see if he could gain any information of these Duvaine scientists… Une wasn't any help, she didn't know anything more than he did. He wasn't able to find anything other than their former Alliance personnel files; Mrs. Duvaine was a slight woman with wavy chestnut, brown hair and kind violet eyes… her husband a well built man with dark blue eyes and black hair. They'd had two children, Aislinn and Brayden Duvaine… both disappeared after the murders, and no further records of them could be found. He knew that the information wasn't relevant to their mission. But over the month he would watch Aislinn and Duo, both carrying an uncanny resemblance to the dead scientists, and connected the dots. After confronting Duo's sister and learning the truth, he laughed inwardly at what Relena's reaction would be if she found out that the weapons she was developing had been designed by the parents of the person she disliked the most.

* * *

When they'd first arrived back on Earth, Heero had wanted nothing more than to have Duo stay with him at his apartment. He didn't want to go another day without the braided boy; but Wufei squashed those hopes when he reminded him that Relena was sure to show up at some point and they needed to keep her from finding out that Duo and his sister were there. Their mission depended on Duo's safety, getting into the base and procuring the files that they would need required a great deal of stealth… the kind of stealth that only Duo was capable of. They knew they couldn't just rush in and arrest Relena, it would cause and uproar among the citizens… they needed to get their hands on the physical, paper evidence of her activities. So, Une had set up for he and his sister to stay in an apartment building across from the Headquarters.

It had turned out to be the right thing to do, Wufei had been right. It only took Relena a week before she showed up at his front door, showering him with the usual flourish of hugs and kisses. Before this whole ordeal started, he would just push her away and try to be polite… he never had the energy to fight with her. But now, in light of everything that she'd done, he had to fight back the bile that rose in throat while he tried to act 'normal'.

When he walked through the main doors to the Preventers' Headquarters, he was exhausted. Keeping up the charade of normalcy with the Vice Foreign Minister was physically and emotionally draining… sometimes he wondered if he had the hardest job there. But he quickly amended those thoughts when he remembered that Zechs had to spend every day with her, trying to pretend she was doing the right thing… trying to agree with her crazy schemes. They were nearing the end of the undercover part of the operation, Duo was due back that afternoon from his mission in the base. Heero was upset when he found that he wasn't part of the team that would monitor the braided boy's progress, but he understood why. He would have been too much of a distraction, and the other needed complete focus.

He remembered back to the days in the war… he'd been amazed at the boy for being able to get into even the most heavily secured OZ bases. He would melt into the darkness like nothing more than a shadow, passing right by soldiers without them being any wiser. But, what should one expect from a boy that could sneak aboard Professor G's ship without being noticed… he was stealth at it's best when he wanted to be.

He was just reaching the office he shared with Wufei, when the Chinese man burst through the door, out of breath. "We've got a problem," he said.

Heero's head snapped up at his words, taking in the look of worry that was displayed across the others face. "What's wrong?"

"It's Duo…" And before he could finish, Heero was up like a shot and rushing down the hall to where the team monitoring the boy was holed up.

"What happened, Chang?" He growled as they ran, several agents narrowly managing to get out of their way.

"Everything was going smoothly, he managed to get into the main office undetected… which was expected, but there was a crashing noise and then silence," his friend said quickly. "We haven't been able to get him back on any of the other frequencies. We believe that he may have been compromised."

"How's that even possible? We both know that there's no one better in the stealth business than Duo… how could someone have gotten to him?" Heero hissed. His hands were shaking by the time they made it to the command room. When they pushed open the door, Quatre and Trowa hurried over.

"Did you manage to find him?" Wufei asked.

"I think he got captured," Quatre said. "Not long after you went to find Heero, Une got a call from Zechs… you could tell something bad happened from the way she was yelling at him. The only thing we heard her say before she left the room was _'She knew he was here the whole time…'_"

Just then a junior Preventer agent burst through the door, out of breath.

"Agent Marks….?" Wufei started to say, but was interrupted by the agent in question.

"Mrs. Landers is missing… she was supposed to come in for a consult with the Commander, but she never showed up. We checked the apartment she was sharing with Mr. Maxwell… it's trashed… she's gone."

* * *

Duo winced as he tried to take a deep breath, his vision fuzzy when he attempted to open his eyes. Leaning his head back, he tried to take a mental note of any injuries he might have sustained. From the pain in his chest he gathered he had at least three bruised, if not broken, ribs and a twisted ankle. There was a throbbing in his head that had to have been caused by the blunt end of the rifle that it was bashed with. Everything had been going so well, he'd managed to get into the office and help the team remotely hack into the computer… he knew they got the information that they needed. When he was about to turn and crawl back up the air vent, he felt the sharp pain as the weapon knocked into the back of his head and he felt the world fade to black. He must have been losing his touch.

Vision becoming clearer, slowly, he took in his surroundings. The room they had him in wasn't very homey… it was nothing but four concrete walls, a ceiling and a rusty metal door at the other end of the room. The rustling sound of chains to his right caused him to look over. There, on the opposite side of the wall, was Aislinn… by the looks of it she was slowly starting to come to as well. If they got her as well, he had no doubt that Relena had known they were on Earth… for a moment he thought that Zechs might have given them up, but quickly pushed the thought away. The man may have been an enemy at one point during the war, but if the others could trust him… then he guessed he could give him the benefit of the doubt at least. Relena had probably hired someone to follow Heero the moment he stepped back on solid ground. He had to admit, he liked Relena a lot better when she was just annoyingly hanging all over Heero…. She'd been harmless then.

Over the years she'd obviously gotten better at the political game, she had the whole world wrapped around her finger with her 'little miss innocent' act. But the bitch was down right certifiable. The things they'd learned the past month proved it. Over half the scientists she had employed on the base were only there because she'd threatened harm to their families, or found a way to blackmail them into cooperation. The other half were just willing to lay their lives on the line for the woman that worked so hard to bring them peace… brainwashed into believing that they were working to help in maintaining it. The girl had let the power corrupt her… over the time Zechs had been undercover he'd given them insight into her thoughts.

She'd morphed over the years, feeling that it was her will… and hers alone that managed to bring peace to the Earth and the Colonies. She didn't want to give credit to any of the men and women that lost their lives for the cause, she didn't want to share the glory… not that any of the Gundam Pilots thought that what they did deserved to be glorified. They'd been boys forced to fight in a war that adults had started. They'd been told they were ready to give up their lives for a cause that they weren't even sure how they felt about when they'd first been given the responsibility of fighting for it. When they found each other they finally decided that working for peace was the right thing, but when they achieved it… even them some of them were unsure if what they did was right. Wufei was a perfect example… even if over the years he'd managed to come to terms with the blood on his hands.

"Duo…" the choked sound brought him out of his thoughts. "Duo, is that you?"

"Yeah Linn it's me," he said… reassuring the young woman of his presence. "Are you injured?"

"I don't think so, just a little woozy… everything's spinning," she groaned. He sighed in relief, he was glad she was alright, but he wondered why she was there.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"No… the last thing I remember is going to bed last night. Where are we?"

Duo looked around again, the room finally in full focus. "Relena's underground base, they must have snatched ya and brought you here. They got me when I was hacking into the office computer," he said.

"Do you think they know we're missing?" She asked.

"Yeah… They'll find us before anything bad happens. I'm sure of it." He smiled, he knew that Heero wouldn't let anything happen to them. He closed his eyes as he imagined the Perfect Soldier yelling at the security team that had been monitoring him. No doubt the other boy was seething, calling them all incompetent. He was shaken from his thoughts when he heard the large metal door scraping open.

The man that walked in had a smirk on his face as he looked down on his guests. The man's expression sent shivers down Duo's spine… he'd seen that look one too many times back during the wars. It was the look of a man far gone… a man that took sick pleasure from breaking things out of his victims. He'd been on the opposite end of a table from many interrogators that were the same way. He gulped when the cold gray eyes looked over him like they would a piece of meat in a butcher shop… the cruel satisfaction glinting in that gaze made him want to whimper… but he needed to keep his cool, Heero would never show fear in a situation like this. But he couldn't help that fear from spreading through his body, that man's look told him that he was about to be in a world of pain.

* * *

AN: Well, now Heero's going to want to rush to kick Relena in the teeth don't you think? What will happen next? Stay tuned and find out!


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter 14**_

It hadn't been quite a week, but it felt like years, since Zechs confirmed what they'd suspected… Duo had been captured. When they got the news, it took all three of the other pilots to keep Heero from rushing off recklessly to save him. As much as they wanted to do it as well, they knew that they needed a well prepared plan if they were going to avoid any problems.

Thursday evening the Perfect Soldier could barely sleep, the rescue mission was set to take place on Friday morning and he was anxious. They knew that the braided boy was still alive, according to Zechs, but he wasn't in the best of shape… the doctor that Relena had employed was a former interrogator for OZ, and well known for his cruelty and unorthodox methods. There were laws in place to prohibit the use of torture on any prisoners in peaceful times… or future wartimes… but according to the taller blonde man, those laws weren't going to stop Relena.

When Heero got into the office on Friday, he prepared for the mission on auto-pilot. His every waking thought occupied by the braided boy that he'd finally managed to make his. He had just gotten him back, and he'd be damned if he was going to let Relena rip them apart again. If push came to shove, he promised himself that he would make good on his, countless, promises to kill the crazed young woman. He knew he should have done it during the war, but the part of him that said she was needed for peace kept his personal wants and needs at bay.

"Heero… are you sure you're ok to go with us on this mission?" Quatre asked, concern showing in his aqua eyes.

"Hn," he grunted. "Yes, this is a mission… and I will carry it out." His voice reverting back to the monotone that he'd used during the war.

"Ok, I just wanted to make sure… I mean, it's not like a normal mission, there is so much more at stake with this one. Even without Duo's involvement."

"I understand Winner, if we encounter problems not only could we be risking Duo's life… but we could be risking the peace as well. We need to pull this off without a hitch," Heero sighed. He knew the risks, Commander Une had made sure that he was in the right 'emotional state' before even clearing him. "If things get out of control, we're to pull back… even if it means leaving those taken captive behind."

"Screw that… no matter what happens down there we are not leaving Maxwell, or his equally annoying sister, at that crazy pink monstrosity's mercy." Wufei said as he walked over to them, in full assault gear.

"The Commander has ordered us to capture Vice Foreign-Minister Peacecraft alive… at least for the record." Trowa said in a steady voice as he came up behind Quatre. "However, 'Off the Record' she says we are to use whatever force we deem fit to make this operation run smoothly." He gave Heero a knowing look, which he nodded to in understanding. This was Une's gift to the boys. On the record she could never tell them it was alright to kill the young woman, not in these peaceful times and with the laws that were in place; however, if they returned and Relena Peacecraft had perished in the struggle… there wouldn't be any repercussions. They also knew from previous talks with Zechs, that he felt the same way they did on the matter. It was time to end the terror that was Relena Peacecraft.

* * *

The clacking sound of heels meeting hard concrete resounded through the corridors of the underground base as the Vice Foreign-Minister made her way through the halls. Today was the day, the doctor had informed her that no matter which of his methods he applied to the boy, there wasn't any information that they were going to be able to gain from him. She figured the young woman in the cell with him most likely wasn't as resistant as the former pilot was, but she wouldn't resort to torture on a 'civilian.' The only way she could justify it's use on Maxwell, if it ever made it's way to the public, would be to he was a terrorist and a war criminal… and that she'd had no knowledge of what was going on. Not that anyone would question it, after all according to public record… the annoying boy was officially dead.

The young woman ran her hands across the left side of her suit jacket, feeling the smooth metal of the gun holstered underneath. Yes, tonight was the night that she was going to silence the annoying boy once and for all… he'd never darken her perfect, little world again. She continued down the hall until she reached the door of her destination and typed in the code that would unlock it. With a swift push she opened it and glared into the darkened room with disgust. "What a mess," she sneered as she carefully stepped inside. "You have definitely seen better days Mr. Maxwell… your friend as well."

"You bitch… you'll never get away with this," the woman growled from her spot by the bloodied and bruised body of Duo Maxwell. "There are laws… you can't do these kinds of things to innocent people!"

"Innocent… don't make me laugh! This filth corrupted my fiancée and tainted him… that's hardly considered innocent. And, as for the laws you speak of… you'll find that the public will never believe that I was capable of breaking them. I am untouchable." Relena said, her head held high with an air of superiority. "Once this little problem is taken care of, there won't be anything in my way any longer. You should have stayed on your dingy colony and died silently like the rest of your filthy people. If you'd just remained _gone _then Heero would never have been forced to be near something like you. The only reason any of them ever tolerated you was because they felt sorry for you… after all what real worth could you actually have to them?"

"You really _are _as blind as you are stupid aren't you, Relena?" Duo wheezed out with a tortured breath. "He'll never… be yours. He hates… no, he _detests_ you. Are you really that… delusional?" Despite the pain he was feeling, he still managed to find the energy to infuriate the young woman, much to his pleasure. If he was going to die in that cell then he might as well make the most of it. He knew that the others were probably cooking up a rescue attempt as they were speaking, but he just wasn't so confident that he would be around when they finally made it there… that stupid doctor had really done a number on him. He coughed, a thin line of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

"Apparently not as delusional as you… Heero may not be ready to get married yet, but he will come around soon enough. Once he knows that he's no longer obligated to mourn for a _fallen comrade_… once he knows that you won't _plague _him anymore, he'll come _running _into my arms. It's the way things are meant to be. The Princess of Peace is the only one that is worthy to stand beside the Savior the World," she said as she stepped back into the hall and closed the large door behind her with a loud, bang.

* * *

"Team A is in place…" Wufei said into his earpiece. He looked behind him at the faces of the five agents under his command, all wearing determined looks. He couldn't imagine what was going through their minds… when they'd joined the Preventers they'd probably never even dared to think that they would be going up against the woman that many in the world believed to be their _savior_.

"Team B is in place as well…" Came Heero's quick reply, followed by one from Trowa as well. The three of them were in charge of leading the initial ground assault teams, they'd meet up on the inside with Zechs. Quatre, Noin and Sally were at three mobile command centers, keeping track of their progress, as well as giving the orders for the backup teams.

Once inside, Wufei's team would in charge of securing the Northern and Western security rooms, Trowa's would take the Southern and Eastern, Zechs had already informed them that he had secured the main gate and Heero's team was tasked with locating the prisoners. Once they'd finished with the first stage they would give a signal, alerting the teams on the outside to secure the perimeter so that Relena couldn't make an escape.

"Alright, all teams are cleared to advance…" Quatre's voice said into their earpieces. Motioning the teams forward they made their way to the doors that Zechs had informed them could be used for their entry. Finding them unlocked, they pushed them in and carefully made their way into the base. When they got to a crossroads in the hall, the boys nodded to each other as they led their teams into their designated directions.

Wufei wasn't surprised when they met no resistance until their first destination, the guards were sloppy… thinking that no one would dare try to infiltrate the base. He had to admit, it definitely made their job easier; they simply aimed their weapons and quietly shot the tranq's, watching as the guards silently slumped backwards in their seats. Motioning for two of the five agents to remain and secure the area, he waved the others on to follow him to their second destination… which they took care of just as quickly as the first.

"Northern and Western points secure," he said into his earpiece with a sigh of relief. "Status on Team's B and C?"

"Team C has secured the Southern and Eastern points," came Sally's reply. "Team B has made the rendezvous with Agent Wind… awaiting further details."

"Alright…" he said as the sound of a shot rang through the halls. "Fuck…"

* * *

Duo looked at the gun the blonde girl had aimed at him with resignation. He had a feeling when the girl stopped in to see him earlier that something like this was going to happen, he wished that he'd been wrong… he wasn't ready to die. But if the God of Death thought that it was his time… who was he to argue. He always had a feeling that death would come to claim him before long. With a sigh, he just closed his eyes and waited… after all, what could he do when he was chained to a wall? He wasn't Heero, he couldn't bend steal and break chains with his bare hands. He silently prayed to a God that he still wasn't sure he believed in that the girl would be satisfied with his death and spare his sister, he didn't want anything to happen to what little family that he had left. A traitorous tear leaked through his tightly shut eyelids as he whispered, to himself, _"I'm sorry Heero…"_ He heard the sound of a shot ringing through the little room.

He waited for the pain to pierce him… he waited for the feeling of the bullet ripping through his flesh… he waited, but it never came. A gasp reached his ears and he forced his eyes open to look in front of him. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as he looked into the eyes of… "Aislinn… why?" He asked as he looked down at the blood starting to stain her shirt. He was in shock, he didn't think that she'd throw herself in front of a bullet for him.

"Why you…" Relena was seething with anger as she directed a glare at the pair across the room, the gun in her hand shaking.

Aislinn smiled softly at him as he reached a shaky hand in her direction. "Why…?" He choked out.

The woman took his hand in hers and placed it against her cheek, closing her eyes as tears threatened to spill out. "It's my job… to protect my… baby brother…" she gasped out. "I know I haven't… done a… good job til now." She winced as she collapsed against him.

He ran his hand over her cheek as she cradled her lightly in his arms, eyes raking over her slight form. "I won't let you die, I can't… I promise you," he cried. "They'll come for us, you just have to hold on." He pressed his hands against her, keeping pressure on the wound in her side. But, even as he did this he felt the hope draining from him… feeling the futility in his words. He turned to glare at the woman with the gun, rage evident in his shining violet eyes. "When will enough be enough?! Why can't you just leave me be?! Are you really such a selfish bitch that you will go as far as to hurt innocent people to get what you want… what would make you think that Heero would ever love someone like you?! You are a monster, Relena Darlian… you don't even deserve to carry the Peacecraft name."

"You dirty, disgusting street rat… I _'don't deserve?'… _you don't deserve! You don't deserve to even utter mine or Heero's names. The sound of it coming from your mouth makes me want to gag," she hissed, steadying her hand as she raised the gun to aim at his head again. "I will shut that dirty mouth for you… permanently. There isn't anyone to save you this time. Close your eyes, you don't deserve to let me be the last sight you see as you die."

"No."

"What? How dare you?! I order you to close your eyes!" She hollered at him with a grimace.

"No… if you're going to kill me, then you are going to have to look me in the eyes and do it. I know enough about killing to know that my eyes will haunt you as long as you live."

"SHUT UP!" She screamed as another shot rang through the concrete cell.

* * *

AN: Sorry about the slight delay in chapter updates... just got back from a trip to Reno and I had to play a little bit of catch up in the area of sleep. I had my laptop with me, but I was too afraid to update the chapters because of the sheer amount of alcohol in my system.

I hope you enjoy this chapter... please review =) the story is winding down to a close!


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15**_

Duo watched as the young woman in front of him collapsed into a heap on the ground. He was in a daze as he looked up into a pair of hard, cobalt blue eyes. His ears vaguely processed the order being made to get the medical extraction teams to their position. He had been so certain that he was going to face his death in that dark, little cell… at the hands of the deranged young politician. It was a shock to him to instead be looking at her lifeless body. He didn't move as agents removed his sister from his grasp and whisked her out of the room on a gurney. His eyes snapped back up and looked into Heero's with a questioning expression.

"You're safe now, she'll never hurt anyone again…" the Perfect Soldier said, gingerly lifting the boy into his arms and carrying him over to the other gurney.

"Heero…?" He choked out as he was placed on the medical contraption, his hand clinging desperately to the steady one of the other pilot. "Was it you…?"

"No," he stated, knowing what Duo was trying to ask. "It wasn't me that killed her… it was Zechs."

Duo nodded as he felt himself being moved through the concrete corridors and back to the outside world. The nightmare was over. "Why…?"

Heero moved alongside the gurney, refusing to let go of his grasp on the braided boy's hand. "It was something we agreed on when we rendezvoused. We knew that if she was going to die she would have wanted it to be me that killed her… and after everything that she's done, I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction." Violet eyes closed as the he nodded. "And, if Zechs was the one that pulled the trigger… it wouldn't come back to reflect badly on the Preventers for hiring the Gundam Pilots. We didn't need anyone turning on the organization, or us, and starting another war. But please don't worry about it right now, we're going to focus on fixing you and Aislinn up… we won't let you die."

"Thank you…" Duo rasped out, softly. "I'm not allowed to die, unless it's by your hand…"

Heero smirked as he watched the boy's head rolled to the side, passing out from the exhaustion. "I hold your life in my hands… just like you hold mine in yours. I wouldn't want it any other way.

* * *

The waiting room was silent as the four boys waited for news on Duo and Aislinn's conditions. When they'd arrived at the Preventers' Hospital, both had been rushed off to surgery… Duo's being presided over by Sally . They had been there over five hours without news.

"They'll be fine…" Quatre kept repeating under his breath as Trowa held on to him, trying to comfort the blonde. "They've got to be fine…"

"Shhhh little one, everything will be ok…"

Wufei got up from his seat and started pacing around the room, back and forth in front of the operating room doors. They were all very on edge.

Heero was oblivious to everything that was going on around him, staring at the ominous double doors… silently willing them to open up and bare good news. He wasn't sure if he could take anymore crap. He was sick of losing the other boy repeatedly, he wanted a chance to settle down and spend the rest of his life showing him just how much he loved him… without the threat of Relena hanging over their heads.

They were all broken from their various thoughts and activities when the doors opened, revealing a very tired looking Sally Po. The poor woman didn't even have a chance to take a breath before she had four worried young men right on top of her… talking over each other. She threw her hands up in exasperation, ushering them a few steps backwards. "Please, calm down… I _do _need a little bit of breathing space."

"Sorry Sally…" Quatre said. "How are they?"

"That interrogator of hers did quite a lot of damage… there was extensive internal bleeding," she sighed. Quatre turned and buried his face into Trowa's chest, Wufei slipped his hand into Sally's and Heero just stared at her… blankly. She could tell it was taking all the effort he had to remain in control. "But… he's going to make a full recovery."

"Oh thank god…" Wufei said, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He looked at the others, noticing the joy on their faces. Heero's controlled expression broke into one of pure relief for a moment before he voiced the other question that was on their minds.

"What about his sister?"

Sally looked at the ground, a grim look on her face, and slowly shook her head. "There was too much damage by the time we got to her…"

* * *

It took two weeks for the former Deathscythe Pilot to fully recover… though he claimed he was fine by the third day. He really hated hospitals. When they'd told him the news of his sister, he cried into Heero's arms. The nightmare was over, but he'd lost another member of his family… one that he'd just gotten back. After combing through their apartment, Quatre had found a short letter tucked into the back of her closet with Duo's name on it.

_Dear Duo, _

_If you are reading this than that means somehow I've managed to get myself killed. Go figure, I finally venture off of the colony and it leads to my death… what a way life works out. Poor attempts at humor aside, I just wanted you to know that no matter what happened to me, I want you to go on living your life. I know that you may not believe in God, but just know that whatever you believe I will always be watching over you. I just hope that whatever end I met, I did it protecting you… at least then I managed to finally do my duty. _

_You have grown into a fine young man, mom and dad would have been proud of the things you've managed to accomplish. I know you feel like you have a lot of blood on your hands, but the things you did were for a noble cause. _

_Also, the Agent called 'Wind' found an old Alliance file on our parents… I've asked him to destroy it. And I know you'd want to ask me why, or what your 'real name' is… but this is the only answer that I'd ever give you no matter how many times you'd ask me. Reading the records on our parents and their various projects is unimportant, just like the name they gave you. A name is something that you make for yourself, and you have made a life for yourself as 'Duo Maxwell'… that is your name… it will always be your name, and you should be proud of it. The only part of the file that I didn't have him burn were their pictures… I figured that you would want to see them. So, when you see him again, tell him I told you it was alright to give them to you. In the drawer of my bedside table is also the only family picture that I was able to salvage from when we were younger, I'd like you to have it. _

_But, I'll ask you again, for me, please go on living. The world is a brighter place with you in it little brother, and that Heero Yuy sure seems like he needs you around. I'll always love you, and I don't regret anything. _

_Please be happy, you deserve it…_

_Love Your Sister,_

_Aislinn _

When he asked, Zechs gave him to pictures and he traced the face of the woman that was his mother… she looked so much like he and his sister it was unbelievable. His father… well he kind of reminded him of Heero in a way, which made him chuckle. He found the family picture she'd talked about and had them all framed… they were currently residing on the mantle above the fireplace in the house that Heero and he had bought.

It turned out, that Relena had left the former Wing pilot her estate in her Will. The blue-eyed young man had wanted to burn it at first, but Duo convinced him to put it to good use. With a lot of hard work and help from the other former pilots, Sally, Une, Zechs and Noin they turned the mansion into an orphanage for the Sanc Kingdom and neighboring areas. They would make sure that none of the children left alone because of the wars would have to live on the streets or in homeless shelters. Zechs and Noin kept only a percentage of the girl's life insurance money, putting the rest back into the restoration effort of the L2 colony. Finally giving the people there a chance to live in the peace that they had been so long denied.

* * *

Duo looked out the kitchen window and smiled as he watched Heero working on the fence in front of the house. They could have had professionals come and do the work, but both young men had wanted to put their own labor into the home… they wanted to really make it their own. Picking the two glasses of lemonade up from the counter, he made his way outside to the other man.

"Here ya go Heero, thought this might cool you off," he said with a wink.

The blue-eyed young man took the cold glass with thanks and drank the sweet yellow liquid. His eyes never leaving his lovers face. Setting the glass down on his makeshift work table, he took Duo's from him and set it down as well.

The braided boy gave him a puzzled look. "Is everything ok?"

"No," he said simply. Duo's looked at him worriedly. "No, everything isn't 'Ok.'" He took a hold of the boy's hand and dropped down to one knee. Duo's free hand flew up to his mouth, in shock… there was no way Heero could be doing what he thought he was doing. "Nothing will ever be simply 'Ok' again Duo Maxwell… because I finally have you in my life forever. But I want to make that forever more official and permanent." He took out a small black both from his pocket and opened it, revealing a simple white gold band that matched the other boy's necklace. "I know that I'm not the easiest man to get along with, and I'm not the best at romantic gestures… but I promise to never let you go. I will never hurt you and I will protect you with everything that I am… even though I know you are fully capable of protecting yourself. I want to get up in front of a room full of people and tell them how much I love you and let them witness the promises that I want to make to you."

"Oh Heero…"

"Duo Maxwell, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Violet eyes looked into Cobalt blue with adoration. The other boy knew that he loved him more than life itself… he had since the war, but he couldn't help but notice the slight hint of anxiousness in his lover's gaze. It was almost like Heero was afraid of being rejected… as silly as that thought was. Nodding his head, still too stunned for words, he pulled Heero to his feet and wrapped his arms around the other man's neck. "Yes…" he finally gasped out. "A thousand times yes!"

Smiling, the Perfect Soldier took the ring from it's box and placed it on the other's finger before pulling him into a breathtaking and bruising kiss. All the pain and heartache was over, the mess with Relena had finally calmed down… and now they were free to live their lives as they pleased. Together, in each others arms again… Forever.

_**THE END**_

* * *

AN: That's the end of "In Your Arms Again." I hope that everyone enjoyed it. I'll probably do a follow up fluff one-shot to the story at some point, so if you're interested stay tuned. However, now I have to move on to fixing my other Gundam Wing/AC stories that I took down and reposting them as well. So if anyone is interested in reading those too... stay tuned!

Thank You for reading! =)


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